The final public meeting for discussion of the draft of the Rochester Bicycle Master Plan is

• Monday December 13, at 6pm in the Kate Gleason Auditorium in the Central Branch Library’s Bausch & Lomb building (the new one)
• 116 South Ave, between East Broad and Court Streets.
• Bike parking is out front on the South Ave side, or use the parking meters on the Broad St side.
• Cars can park on-street for free after 5pm, or in the Court St or South Ave parking garages.

This is the last chance for public input before recommendations are issued in the final report.

http://cityofrochester.gov/article.aspx?id=8589943115

Flour City Invitational Bicycle Polo, August. 27-29. Go here for the schedule. Most events happen tomorrow, August 28.

World Canals Conference Flotilla Bicycle Ride, September 19. Bicycle along the Erie Canal alongside a flotilla of boats to kick off the World Canals Conference happening right here in Rochester.

MCC Ride for Scholarships, September 25. This one requires pre-registration, and is a fundraiser for scholarships to Monroe Community College students in need. Only $18, plus a free t-shirt. Route is a pleasant 15-mile tour of MCC’s campuses and facilities around the area, and is largely on trails (map is available for download at the website). I’m helping out with this one, so I’ll definitely be there! (I wrote about the previous ride here.)

Not only that, but the Rochester Master Bike Plan is also moving along! Go to the website to review and leave comments.

City government says they’re aiming for full “Bicycle Friendly Community” status from the League of American Bicyclists (we got honorable mention for 2009). I’d say we’re getting there!

I’m a new contributer, though I’ve been around for a while. I moved to Rochester about 18 months ago and have been riding full time for about a year. I have to say, I love Rochester, and I love seeing more folks out on their bikes again. Winter is a tough time for year-rounders, and I’m happy that spring is finally here.

This past week, I went to a fantastic Earth Day talk about Transition Towns at First Unitarian. Transition Town is a UK movement that has made its way to the US. With an emphasis on eliminating our oil dependency, the movement encourages communities to work together on innovative alternatives to non-reusable energy sources, as well as creating more connected relationships within those communities. The Transition focuses on several areas of sustainability, including food, water, and transport, to inspire communities to come together and create systems that are sustainable and conducive to a healthy environment. It really is an inspiring model, and one that I hope Rochestarians will soon adopt.

To say that this movement relates to cycling communities is a severe understatement. I think that the more we do to encourage bike-friendly community structures and discourage the use of motor vehicles, the better prepared we will be for this pending oil apocalypse. At the very least, eliminating your personal dependence on oil reduces your financial vulnerability to the waves of price hikes and, presumably, gas shortages and/or rationing. I’m very interested in learning more about this movement. And also, I was so happy to see so many groups congregated together to learn more and to share their work with one another. Coalition-building is an important step towards effective change.

I’m so glad to be a part of a small group of folks who believe in the future of bicycles. Whether you use it to commute to work, grab a bite to eat with your best friend, or run out to the grocery store, your bike is a revolutionary tool, and it is creating change each time you hop on. So thanks for riding. And thanks for writing…

I usually don’t cycle in groups; I’m more of a laid-back/commuting/put-the-dog-on-the-bike-and-chill kind of cyclist. But, I’m a sucker for a good cause, and raising money for college scholarships for students in need, as a part of our college’s festivities celebrating the inauguration of our fifth (and first woman) president, Anne M. Kress was a good enough cause for me.

Here is Dr. Kress thanking us and sending us off. She later noted that her spring cardigan wasn’t exactly appropriate for the 40 degree weather. (She is still adjusting to our Northeastern climate after moving here from Florida. Most people move the reverse direction, that’s for sure!)

This is the indomitable Susan, who was the chair of our committee and my compatriot in composting (we worked hard to ensure that all the waste from the day’s luncheon and reception was composted, and that’s another story altogether).

We visited all 4 of the college’s sites, first stopping at the Applied Technology Center. We had a police escort along this section, which is a heavily traveled road. I felt very important! Actually, I was the ride leader, so I really was grateful for the help.

We followed a map developed by Karen and Brian of the Rochester Bicycling Club. Most of the ride took us along many of Rochester’s finest trails.

This is the Public Safety Training Facility, which has a bike trail running right behind it. This was my first time leading a ride, and there were some much stronger cyclists than me on the ride, so right about now I was feeling a bit stressed. So I took off like a bat out of hell after this, and had to be reminded to slow down, since this was supposed to be a fun ride for cyclists of all levels!

Between the Applied Technology Center and this shot, we were on trails the whole time. That’s actually when we passed the bridge shown in the top photo. When we got downtown, they were doing some construction we hadn’t expected, but fortunately we were able to get through. Here’s the campus where I work, right in downtown Rochester.

On the way back, the wind started to get me. I never really thought about the fact that the leader takes all the wind. So, once we were back on the trail and it was just a straight shot, a couple of other people got ahead and I just relaxed for a bit.

And finally, back to the largest campus, just in time to change for the rest of the day’s events!

I tend to find riding in a group a bit stressful, so I’m not quite sure what possessed me to agree to actually lead this ride, other than enthusiasm for the event and my usual not-quite-realistic optimism about life in general. However, this was such a supportive and laid-back group that I really had a wonderful time.

The ride also made me really appreciate the network of trails that we have in this city. The streets still aren’t great, in my view, for cycling, but they’re not awful either. And the trails are just so beautiful. From my neighborhood, I could quite easily bike commute to any of the MCC campuses, to RIT, University of Rochester, St. John Fisher, and Nazareth (and their surrounding areas), much of it on trails.

Although I’m not as familiar with these areas: Irondequoit, Browncroft/Winton neighborhood, and Northeast Rochester, I suspect that it’s not quite as easy to commute, but I know people who do it (include some RocBike readers).

I’m curious to hear what you like and don’t like about bike commuting in Rochester, so let me know in the comments!

Meanwhile, I’m not sure if I’ll be leading a ride again any time soon. But the dog and I will be out on the trails; you can count on that!

The Canada geese honking on the Genesee River

The statue in front of Bausch & Lomb as I turned the corner

St. Mary’s Church to my left

The dead pigeon on the side of the road, only partially flattened

The throng of people at the bus stop at Main and Clinton

Everyone in line for coffee and donuts as I wheel into the building

In March I headed up to Monson, MA to join up with fellow ratrod bikers for a swap meet and cruise. Monson kinda sucked for cruising so we packed up and went across the border to Willamantic, CT, where we had lunch and continued to ride.

full photo set here

In June I was on vacation so I ended up bringing one of my custom vintage bikes up to Rochester to join up with the old cruising crew, with a lot of new faces since I left town. One of the nights we went way out on the canal trail.

full photo set here

There’s a few local guys that go on custom vintage rides in downtown Hartford, so that happened at least a few times this summer.

June:

full photo set here

August:

full photo set here

Also in August, a few of us joined up in New London for a custom-vintage ride.

full photo set here

In September, I was back on vacation, and I did a tour of NY state, starting with a stop in NYC. Me and my friend Otto cruised from Queens to Brooklyn.

full photo set here

After NYC I was back up in ROC for two more days of cruising with the ROC cruise crew.

Wednesday:

full photo set here

Thursday – we rode up the Genesee river trail to the pier at Charlotte:

full photo set here

And the last group ride I did this past year, a custom-vintage cruise in New Haven, in October:

full photo set here

Hoping that 2010 is as full of fun bike rides! Happy New Year!

This is the
Frederick Douglass Susan B. Anthony Memorial Bridge, named after two famous Rochesterians. I find it beautiful every day, but especially today with the frost on the ground.

And this is another view, looking towards downtown.

On this crisp morning, I feel incredibly blessed to bike to work.

I think it all happened around the time change. I definitely have issues this time of year getting motivated as it gets darker. I probably have that SAD thing to some degree. Who knows… but maybe I’m just saying that. Maybe that’s just my excuse.

For some reason I get creeped out riding alone in the dark at the end of the day, though it doesn’t bother me at all in the morning. Maybe it’s just quieter in the morning. I feel like I’m alone in the morning. In the evening I feel like just can’t see what’s out there. I don’t like taking the shortcuts through the woods or riding on the canal path in the dark. I feel safer taking my chance with the cars.

Am I afraid of the dark? What kind of a giant wimp am I?

I don’t want to quit riding for the season… I want to keep going through the winter. I guess I just need to find new routes that I’m comfortable with and maybe some bike mounted weaponry.

I used to take a martial arts class… maybe I could just ride around with a bokken strapped across my back to make me look crazy. Maybe I could just wave it around insanely when I’m taking a sketchy shortcut. It is my personal believe that looking crazy is a good form of self defense.

Hi Jody –

XXXXXX confirmed that the kitty-litter panniers are yours ….. could we have a bake sale to raise funds for new panniers for you? LOL!

Best,
XXXXXX

I’ll grant you that they’re not beautiful, but they are very functional. They are waterproof and made from recycled materials. I was kind of proud of my kitty litter panniers. And they were VERY cheap. I think they cost less than $10 in materials. I think they’re going to be great for the crappy weather, once there’s salt and grime on the road. I can just hose these off occasionally. They are also very high visibility, esp with the big reflectors on there.

I confess that I am a huge fan of bike hacks, which is where I got the idea. I love crazy MacGyvered solutions. I figure the panniers also make my bike less appealing to bike thieves, not that it’s worth much anyway. Probably in my perfect world my bike would look like something out of a Mad Max movie. (I know bright yellow and red doesn’t really shout Mad Max… more like McDonalds.)

I’m never one to turn down free bike stuff though. So I may give a thumbs up to the bake sale idea. In case I want to go to a classy event instead of just getting from place to place.

It’s probably true that I have no sense of style. :) But you gotta work with the senses you have.

A couple weeks ago on my commute home I decided to take part of the canal path that’s a little out of my way. I had a little extra time and it was a beautiful day. I even remembered to strap my camera to the handlebars and take a little video.

The ride was really about 20 minutes long but I speeded it up and compressed it into 5. If you want to take 20 minutes you should just drive out there and ride it yourself.

I know it’s because you care about me that every time a friend of a friend of a friend is in a bad cycling accident you feel that you need to come tell me about it. I know it’s because you’re concerned that I’m doing something so dangerous by riding my bike to work, to the store, or around the block, and that you think it’s only a matter of time before I break my neck or my hip or my collar bone. Usually you don’t even know the person, it’s someone you saw on the news.

If I went around to all my friends and family every time I heard about a nasty car accident to share the cautionary tale and warn them to be extra careful, I’m pretty sure that is all I would be doing with my life. “Hey, be careful on Outlet Rd. I’ve seen at least 3 memorial crosses along that road. And I wouldn’t drive on 104 either. That road is just crosses from end to end. In fact, maybe you just shouldn’t drive. It seems pretty dangerous. I just worry about you.”

I do know it is because you care which is why I just reassure you with my prepared talking points that I am careful, that cycling is probably less dangerous than driving, and that hopefully people in cars will remember that they are surrounded by a giant crusty exoskeleton and that not everyone on the road is.

I know it is because you care that you run in to my office to tell me that they sky looks cloudy and ask how I will get home if it rains. The wind is picking up and, is there someone who can come pick me up if the weather takes a turn for the worse?

And on days that I don’t bike for some reason, I kind of wish that you wouldn’t say, “It’s a good thing you didn’t bike today. I think it’s supposed to rain later.” I don’t really ever feel like it’s a good thing that I didn’t bike, and I like the rain. If I overslept and had to drive I generally feel like I’m missing out on something fun.

I know you will continue to care about me so I don’t expect you to stop rushing into my office with weather updates and gore reports, but I hope you won’t be too offended if I keep riding my bike.

3:30 – 4 – Bike Commuters Show and Tell 
Jessica Rodriguez, Adam Durand, and Jack Spula talk about car-free commuting and demonstrate their two – (or three – ) wheeled wonders.

I should give The Chicken Avenger a hose-down this week. There are a bunch of other workshops, including a session on urban chickens and another on vegan gluten-free baking, and it’s completely free and open to the public. Here’s the schedule. This event is right up my alley.

My feet were getting too cold. I couldn’t find any combo of shoes and socks that worked for me (out of the pile of shoes and socks that I already owned.) And there’s something weird about being on a long ride and not being sure if you can’t feel your toes because you’ve been in the wrong position too long or because your toes are frostbitten and dead.

I rode 30 miles home from Rochester in sleet one evening and somewhere around mile 22 I started worrying that my toes were dead, that I would pull off my boot and to find something horrible like what I have seen on shows about Mt. Everest trips gone horribly wrong or Arctic expeditions where no one made it out alive. My mind wanders funny places when I’m riding a long time.

I really do want to ride year ’round but I think I need to find the right gear combination for me. I just use regular platform pedals so I don’t have to find something that will wrap around cycling shoes but I have to find something that is unstoppably warm.

I thought back to when I was a kid and spent hours in the snow. My feet didn’t fall off then. Mostly it was many layers of socks, plus bread bags over the socks stuffed into boots that were too big for me. Did other people’s parents send them outside like that or is my family crazy?

I never did try the bread bag thing last year though I probably should have. I think it was more the cold wind cutting through my damp shoes that did me in.

Anyone have any recommendations or thoughts on good footwear for biking in winter? I know it’s early, but it’s on my mind at the moment.

Mind the Gender Gap

It’s an interesting criticism of the way many articles address the topic of women on bikes. Their focus is usually narrowed to fashion and safety. I love the bit where she summarizes the attitude of the articles as men are more likely to ride bikes than women because “men are just much less self-absorbed and a million times braver”.

The weather report is saying 10% chance of rain, so we have high hopes that these cloudy skies will leave us alone. We’re heading first downtown, the taking the river down to Genesee Valley Park where we meet up with the canal. Shouldn’t have any difficulty reaching Holley tonight, where we’ll make camp.

I replaced the tube Wednesday night. I carefully examined the tire to try to find the offending thing that caused the flat but couldn’t find anything. The hole was a little puncture on the outside of the tube… so, nothing to do with the wheel. I decided the offending ‘thing’ must be gone, reassembled everything, and re inflated the tire. I was feeling pretty good about my improved flat fixing skills.

I rode to work and home on Thursday with no problems. All was well. I had Friday off and didn’t end up riding the bike at all over the weekend.

Monday morning I went out to to the shed, got my bike. I made it to the stop well before the bus (mostly because it was 20 minutes late due to mechanical difficulties). When it arrived I discovered that my tire had gone completely flat while I was waiting. I was glad I would at least get to work in time, threw my bike on the rack and figured I would sort things out sometime during the day.

Have I mentioned that I never figured out how my little portable air pump worked? I’ve had it for at least a year, but I just bought it, tossed the instructions and carried it with me all the time, more as a talisman than a tool. When I got off the bus I decided I’d try to inflate the tire a bit. That would make walking the bike the half mile to my office a little easier. I could not get the thing to latch on to the valve stem. Basically, the pump could work one of two ways. Method A did not work so I tried method A again, and again, and again. And gave up. Clearly, I’m gifted.

So I walked the bike to my office, leaned it against the rack and dug out my lock, only to discover that I had left the key at home. You see, normally I have routine, a system. I follow it carefully because my brain doesn’t start working until well after I have to leave the house in the morning. If I don’t follow the routine, I end up at work without my bike lock key, or my office key, or my work clothes. I had broken the routine the last time I rode and would have to pay for it now. I found a spot in the storage room in my office to stash the bike for the day.

I decided to try the air pump again on my lunch break. They wouldn’t sell pretend air pumps that don’t actually do anything. There must be a solution. Suddenly method B occurred to me. Success. The tire was full of air that was quickly trying to get out of the tire. Now I could see where it was coming from so I knew that when I got home I would be able to find the offending ‘thing’ that had taken 2 tubes already. I decided not to try to patch it at work since it would probably just happen again if I didn’t take the time to do it right.

Hopped a couple of buses to get home dragging my injured bike with me. I didn’t feel like going to the store and so I patched the tube (using some peel and stick patch that I happened to have) and found the tiny piece of glass that was embedded in the tire. I had to use tweezers to pull it out because it was stuck in there solidly. It was embedded so solidly that I half thought that I was really just tearing out something that was supposed to be part of the tire.

When I went out to the shed on Tuesday morning the tire was flat AGAIN. Yes I know it was because I used that crappy peel and stick patch. Yes I will go buy a real patch kit and a whole case of spare tubes. But there I was…

I was tired of getting rides to and from the bus stop. I just wanted to be moving under my own power. I hauled out the spare junk bike. Ran to the air compressor, pumped up the tires, and left almost 10 minutes late. It made horrible noises and then even more horrible noises. The brakes sounded like a penguin getting eaten by an elephant seal. The shifters kinda work in certain gear combinations some of the time. Then in the middle of town the whole bike started vibrating like we were going well above warp 8 and the whole ship was going to tear apart. It took me a couple of starts and stops to figure out that the front reflector was sticking out on this strange metal appendage that was screwed to the bike just above the front wheel. Somehow it had gotten bent down and was dragging across the knobby mountain bike tires. I fixed this and kept powering toward the bus stop. Somehow I made it in time. Just…

The next day I still hadn’t had time to fix the flat on my regular bike so I rode the junk bike again. Everything went smoothly until I walked to the bike rack after work and discovered that now even the junk bike had a flat. I really started thinking that I might have a nemisis that was doing this to me on purpose. It was on the rear wheel which doesn’t have a quick release. I didn’t have a wrench or a spare tube anyway. So I just walked it to the park and ride. I fixed the tubes on the good bike when I got home and haven’t even looked at the junk bike again.

The up side of this is that I can fix a flat tire pretty quickly now. I’m not saying I can fix it right. I guess if I’d gotten it right the first or the second time this post would be a lot shorter. We’ll see whether I learned anything later this week. If the new tube doesn’t go flat I will feel successful. Meanwhile, I am starting to consider the merits of spending a little extra for a flat resistant tire. They do make those don’t they?

Here’s a video I made of the March ride (I try to make one of these every year):

I just have 2 things to say about all this. First, cycling is not an individual act; it is inherently social, simply by the fact that other people are using the trails/roads/sidewalks. I am both a driver and a cyclist. When a cyclist is biking erratically or is not visible in the dark, it affects me as a driver, by increasing my stress level as I am driving and trying to be safe. Further, if I were to hit that cyclist, it’s not just the cyclist who would be affected. I would be emotionally devastated. Our health care system would take another hit. My loved ones as well as the cyclist’s would be impacted. Insurance costs would go up. So, yes, individuals have the freedom to make choices about how they want to bike. But that freedom does not exist in a vacuum.

Second, could we be a little nicer to each other and to those with whom we share the transportation infrastructure? There’s a great post at EcoVelo to this point.

Read the comments too, where you’ll find, among others, this gem from the post’s author:

“The idea that acting courteously as opposed to confrontationally is somehow going to put us on a slippery slope leading to “laws demanding that all cyclists get out of their way” is a fallacy that has been used all too frequently to justify rude, aggressive riding tactics. What’s going to get us kicked off the roads is disregarding traffic laws, riding irresponsibly, and treating other road users as if we bicyclists operate under our own set of rules (see it too often). You are right, the car is “almighty”, but fighting its supremacy with a head-on frontal assault is not the answer in my opinion. I believe we need to build good will with the general public and politicians to gain the political capital necessary to instigate the infrastructure and policy changes that would make our roads (and trails) more attractive to new bicyclists, thus growing bicycling to the extent we’re all hoping for. In my opinion, the “us versus them” mentality is counterproductive to this goal and has gotten us nowhere in the U.S.”

I wholeheartedly recommend the d-i-y method, but if you want a slightly more expensive alternative that works out of the box, I recommend the gorilla pod (depending on the size and the size of your camera the stability will vary.) I always tie my camera strap to the handle bars for extra insurance but haven’t had any problems with it coming off… it just jiggles a bit.

I went out and did a loop around the neighboring block with my camera in video mode to test it out. It went pretty well. I did speed it up, compressing the 22 minute ride into less than 3 minutes, so in case you weren’t sure, I’m not actually a bike racing superhero.

Handlebar Cam video from a loop around my block>>

I plan to do some video of my commute now that all I have to do is slide the camera into the gorilla pod mount quick release thingy.

SATURDAY JUNE 27TH
AT “THE BIKE ZONE”
885 LONG POND ROAD IN GREECE
FROM 10 A.M. TO 2:00 P.M

SATURDAY JULY 18TH
AT “PENFIELD FITNESS AND RACKET CLUB”
667 PANORAMA TRAIL WEST IN PENFIELD
FROM 10 A.M. TO 2:00 P.M

I non-consensually donated a bike to them last year, and still felt good about it! You can find more details on their events page, and here’s a PDF of the event flier in case you’d like to spread the word.

My rides home over the past couple of weeks have been exceedingly pleasant.

I attribute it to the power of RocBike.

On Saturday I started riding toward Geneva. My goal was to end up at the Geneva Bicycle Center. I needed a spare tube but mostly I thought I needed someplace to ride, a destination. It’s about 14 miles away so there and back seemed like it would be a good ride. I passed Cress road and started thinking that I’d never been down it & wasn’t sure where it went, made a u-turn and was off on a little explore. I covered a lot of uncharted territory in empty space between Lyons, Newark, and Phelps, an area formerly thought to be occupied only by sea monsters and steep hills. It turns out that the steep hills part is correct but the sea monsters were actually just cows. Lots and lots of cows.

I never did make it to the bike shop. I just wandered the back roads for a couple of hours until I remembered how little breakfast I’d eaten then spent another 40 minutes singing to myself about my plans to eat a sandwich while I tried to find my way home.

I never love biking more than when I’m exploring new territory… and there’s so much unexplored territory right under my nose even though I’ve lived here forever… well, almost forever. What’s hiding down that side street that you just cruise by every day?

Of course, this morning didn’t go perfectly. I felt like I was going so slow. I was operating in easier gears than usual. I was fighting imaginary headwinds. Somehow despite all that I was the first person at the bus stop. I was still the only person there when the bus pulled up. Both racks on the front were taken already so I resigned myself to wrestling with the luggage compartment. It seemed to be stuck & I thought it was locked but somehow I got it open… as soon as it opened I realized that this was not in fact the luggage compartment but the access panel for the engine or some other important mechanical bus stuff. And now, it wouldn’t close.

I don’t know if I opened the wrong panel because I was so tired or because I was approaching it from an odd angle.

The bus driver got off and was asking me how I got it open in the first place. He couldn’t get it closed either. I tried to help but that seemed futile so I put my bike in the real luggage compartment and then went back to attempting to help the bus driver. Then another cyclist rode up. This guy gets off after me… so I hauled my bike back out of the luggage compartment so he could put his in first and then shoved it back in and somehow the three of us managed to close the access panel.

I felt pretty cool right then.

Other than the bus fiasco it was a beautiful ride. I saw a king bird and was noticing just how thick the grass is and how green everything is all of a sudden. I love that bike commuting gets me out in to the world earlier than I would even think of leaving the house if I didn’t have a bus to catch. It’s a whole different world out there at 6 a.m. The light changes dramatically as the seasons change but it’s always a quieter, crisper, world that early in the morning, and it feels like it’s all mine.

Way beyond my capabilities, but way cool.

This past Friday was Bike To Work Day and I got to pretend I was purposely recruiting other cyclists to bike commuting in honor of the day. In reality it just happened to work out that the person who has been saying to me “Yeah I’d really like to try that.” for, mmm, 2 years just happened to cave to my “How ’bout tomorrow? How ’bout Thursday then? Friday?”

She could do Friday. We agreed that I would get off the bus early and ride to meet her & her husband at Perinton park & we would all ride together from there. They showed me some crazy shortcuts through parking lots and nice wooded trails in East Rochester that would be useful to know but that I will never in a million years be able to remember. We got to work and she bought me a coffee and I saw a cockroach crawling through the hole of a blueberry bagel in the bakery case, not relevant to the story, except that I decided I didn’t want a bagel.

In late spring & summer we have half days on Fridays so we met up at the bike rack around 12:30 and after some lunch we biked over to Pittsford to pick up the canal trail. She rode with me well past her house. Once we got past the crowded parts of the towpath I got to try out her recumbent for a few miles. It took me a while to even get moving but once I got the hang of it, I was laughing like a maniac because I felt sort of like I was in Mario Kart and that someone would start shooting giant turtle shells at me, also I felt like it might flop over at any moment. It was very comfortable & fun & I would try it again. I don’t know what everybody’s got against recumbents except for the weird need to classify everyone as one kind of cyclist or another. I don’t think I’ll rush out to buy one though–I’m still happy with my current bike (mostly).

I’m not  sure my friend is totally sold on bike commuting as a practical option. Historically she’s been more of a leisure time cyclist. She told me a couple of times that I needed gel shorts and cleats. I’m sure those things are awesome and maybe I would be able to ride my whole commute without bus assistance if I had them, but I like to being able to ride without a lot of specialized gear. Just get on the bike and go and be able to get off the bike and walk without a major wardrobe change. But then again maybe I’m doing that cyclist classification thing too.

Anyway, I know she had fun and she wants to do it again this Friday so maybe she’s sold after all.

I just wanted to share some bike related links that I’ve enjoyed lately.

• Tour de Commute – Bike commuters win!
• A Bicycle Built for Two – Some great photos from a bike powered wedding.
• Team Wonderbike – I know you’ve all seen this, but Bike to Work day seems like a good day to watch it again.
• Rainy Day Blues – I love the makeshift bike repair stand here.
• I Love All These Cyclists (Except When I don’t) – I rarely ever have this problem except when I do. Seeing other cyclists on my route is the exception rather than the rule… except for all the folks who are riding the bus with their bikes now-a-days.

Happy Bike to Work Day. Hope to see you out there.

Jody Benedict works as a “web person” at a small college but she’s also a “print person.” A few years ago she might have called herself a graphic designer but the boundaries of her trade have become fuzzy and unfocused.

Very early in life, Jody decided she hated bikes as the result of a few unfortunate accidents (one nasty one involved an electrified barbed wire fence) and left her bike to rust under a bush somewhere. As she grew older she realized that she hated cars more than she hated bikes and she’d rather leave her car to rust in the driveway. She started bike commuting on her rusty bike. (Back then she only lived two miles from work.) She still didn’t LOVE biking until she discovered that all bikes are not created equal and a tune up and properly inflated tires can make a world of difference.

She eventually got a new bike and fell in love with it. She realized how far she could go on her own power and discovered a feeling of freedom, a feeling of self reliance, and a feeling of connection to the world around her that she never felt when she was moving through the world in her car-bubble.

Currently, Jody is a multi-modal commuter (bike+bus). Her commute is a minimum of 7 miles round trip but she usually rides between 14 and 22 because she doesn’t like standing and waiting around for things (like
buses). She could skip the bus part entirely but that would mean a round trip commute of almost 60 miles and she’s not in that kind of shape or doesn’t have that kind of bike, she’s not sure which. She still has a lot to learn about cycling but the process of learning keeps her interested.

She also has other interests which include camping, hiking, insects, mushrooms, observing and understanding the natural world in general, board and video games, reading, preparing for the zombie-pocalypse, and probably some other stuff she can’t think of right now. She spends way too much time
writing boring entries on her personal blog, That Which Rolls, named in honor of Alfred Jarry‘s bike.

You could also combine it with other trails in the Webster Trails system. If you go to that web page and click on trails, you’ll see an overview map of the whole system.

The sections east of Klem Road abut the backyards of several new developments, which I didn’t enjoy nearly as much as the more wooded sections to the West. The trail is fairly narrow, much more so than the Genesee Greenway, for example. It’s a dirt trail, maybe a tiny bit rocky. (It can be hard to tell on foot vs. bike, but I’m pretty sure I would enjoy cycling it.)

If you go back in about 4-6 weeks, you might find some fruits on these wild strawberries (although I suspect the critters will get to them before any humans can, if my garden is any indication).

My brother Ryan gets a ride to the grocery store. 

Ride to work
First day in the seat since my whiplash injury.
A few aches, but I’m feeling okay.

Ride home
Three teenage guys are blocking the path.
Two move, but one stays square in the middle and looks me right in the eyes.
I know a challenge when I see one,
and I’m not in the mood for it.
There’s room for me to pass, but barely.
As I pass, I sarcastically say, “thanks for moving.”
Not really smart.
But ignoring men who harass me gets old.
The guy mocks me, “thanks for moving.”
On a good day, I figure I can out-bike someone who’s bikeless.
But my first day in the seat, with an achy back, is not really my best day.
I’m a little concerned they’ll take chase.
I look in my rear view mirror. No sign of them.
I hear “Fuck you!” yelled at my back.
I want to flip them off, but I refrain.

I start to fume, reflecting on every rude act I’ve experienced or heard about over the past few weeks.
I’m pretty sure that the phrase, “Kids these days,” pops in my head.

As I near my home, I see a boy on his bike, meandering along the sidewalk.
He cheerfully yells out, “Hello!”
I say hello, though not so cheerfully.
Undaunted, he says, “Nice day for a bike ride!”
Smiling now, I say, “Yes, it is!”

Ride to yoga class
Feeling stronger now.
I come upon a couple of young boys on their bikes.
One says hello.
The other rides up alongside me.
I say, “are you gonna race me?”
He smiles and starts pedaling.
I shift my gears and start to pull ahead.
He says, “Oh, you’ve got gears, that’s why you’re faster.”
I smile and keep moving.

Ride home
Twilight.
Sounds of the neighborhood as I pass by.

Yep, nice day for a bike ride.

RocBike.com reader Stephen Byrne send this today:

There is an upcoming public meeting about the scope of improvements for the Genesee Riverway Trail downtown, from Court St. to Middle Falls. It is on Tuesday, April 28th from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at St.
Michael’s Church Hall at the corner of Clinton and Clifford.

For more on the trail, visit the City of Rochester site and then listen to Episode 1 of The RocBike Review, in which Adam, Jack and I ride the trail.

Tryon Park is the central front in this war, as it’s one of the more popular parks for mountain bikers, but seems less utilized by foot traffic. I dropped by there last night on a scouting mission.

No obvious signage indicating lesser class status for bikers. 

The drier parts of the park seem to be holding up well, even with the bike use . . . 

. . . but the wetter parts of the park have uneven and torn-up paths. These tracks had pretty much hardened. 

What sort of jerk is tearing up the park with his shoes? Oh, that’s me. 

In the interest of a truce, I suggest letting the mountain bikers try to coexist with the foot traffic at Tryon Park first. Let’s take it slow.

P.S. While I was standing at the entrance to Tryon Park, I got to witness a pole-mounted transformer explode! I waited around until the fire trucks came:
 

News 8 ran a short interview with Jean Triest and Frank Regan about the event.

I liked what Frank had to say, though he could probably cut his soundbytes down a bit (the reporter had to kind of drag his point out of him).

Also, I’m glad Jean is talking about cycling as someone from the county government. And I know Traffic Safety is her job. So I mean the following criticism with full respect and appreciation.

But I do feel that her helmet lecture was too much. I know she means well. But if helmets prevent 89% of head trauma as Jean says, why not tell motorists to wear helmets? Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of head injuries in America. Head trauma in motor vehicle accidents kills many thousands of people a year, with head injuries occurring in 70% of severe crashes.

If you’re going to tell cyclists to wear helmets, you should probably add that with or without a helmet, safe cycling will raise your life expectancy while safe driving lowers it. And remember: the few studies that we’ve done on this topic show that the “weight of evidence is against the encouragement of cyclists to wear helmets.” I’d like to see more studies on this, and until then, I’ll wear my helmet in most contexts and stop telling other people that they should.

One way we could make Monroe County’s road really safe is to convince everyone to stop driving cars and to ride bikes instead. That may take a few millennia of advocacy (and some serious global warming), but it’s not going to come any quicker if people think that bike riding gets their heads smashed more than car driving does.

Anyway, Jean gets bonus points for saying that bikes have a right to be in the road, for giving some real practical advice on how to ride safely, and for spending time on the county dime covering bike safety issues. I’ll see you all on Thursday.

One of the worst-planned roads in the city has to be Norris Drive, at the base of Cobbs Hill. I wrote a bit about it back in January when it got flooded out. After all that flooding and freezing, it’s no surprise that the road is a wasteland at its edges:

C’mon Obama, stimulate this road back into good shape! 

Luckily, it’s not too hard to avoid the potholes if there’s not a lot of traffic.

Know of any rough streets in your neighborhood?

Free & Open to the Public

Thursday – March 19, 2009 7:00pm

Brighton Town Auditorium
2300 Elmwood Avenue
Rochester, NY 14618

This discussion will provide information on the vehicle and traffic laws of NYS and how they apply to new or experienced bicyclists.

We will cover:
common collision scenarios and how to avoid them.
safe riding techniques to keep bicyclists safe on the streets.
useful information on riding safely and legally in traffic.
preparing new or experienced bicyclists for an understanding of vehicular cycling.

Questions? Please contact:
Jean Triest (585) 753-3016 jtriest@monroecounty.gov |
Frank Regan (585) 224-9075 frankregan@rochesterenvironment.com

I find that complaining that someone isn’t safe enough rarely does any good, whether it’s directed at the person or the general blog audience. But last month I saw two feats of cycling so reckless I have to share them here, dear readers.

1. Winter TV Haulin’ 

 
Don’t sneeze! 

I got stuck behind this fellow on my way to a friend’s house. I was in the bit of a rush, but I didn’t dare try to pass him as he weaved back and forth along poorly plowed back roads, television set delicately balanced on his handlebars. He nearly wiped out about three times as I followed him, and had to stop at one point when he hit an incline. I took that opportunity to pass him, say “Hello,” and not look back.

2. Drunken Cycling 

John 2:12 

I saw this bike outside a bicycle-themed restaurant/bar in Chicago and wanted to tell the woman who rode in on the bike that her sticker was interesting. She replied with slurred speech and breath thick with the smell of alcohol. In fact, I rarely see people this drunk in public, and can’t say that I’ve ever seen a cyclist so intoxicated. As we were leaving, she was having trouble strapping something onto the back of her bike.

Let’s here some of your recklessness cyclist stories in the comments.

Maybe if I go slowly the water won’t notice that I’m here 

Winters bring the most difficult conditions for motorists to get through, be they giant puddles of indeterminate depth, deep snow to get stuck in, or icy hills that send climbing cars backwards. I haven’t had those problems yet this winter on bike. And if I do, I make the point in my Ten Reasons Why Bikes Are Better for Winter Commuting that when the going gets tough on a bike, you can walk or carry it until you’re in the clear.

I can carry 12 lifejackets in my Freeloader bags 

It’s OK to feel a little bit of smug self-satisfaction as a winter bike commuter. People think it’s so rough. Oh, you must be really dedicated. I could never do that.

The secret is that, sometimes, it’s much easier on bike.

My tires, basking in the ice-cold neon power of the Chicken Avenger 

The Right Tire for You 

My particular Nokian tires seem comparatively low-end, as Nokians go. They have just 160 studs per tire compared to the meatier Nokian Extremes that our own Jack Spula uses. Plus, it seems that the $65.00-per-tire asking price at Towners is a bit high compared to what other people are paying around the country for this particular model. So if you can spare the time to research the best value you can find, I suggest you do.

But even lower-end overpriced studded tire models receive praise from their users. I’ve spent time on icy roads with road tires, mountain bike tires, fat balloon cruiser tires, and of course these Nokians, and this winter season (with the studs) is really the first time I’ve felt comfortable in all road conditions. I’ve gotten away in the past with “knobby” mountain bike tires, but they’re only good when there’s snow on the road. Those knobs do nothing to grip onto the ice.

How Far Will Studs Take One? 

I still ride with extra caution on nights like tonight when it gets cold after a bit of a thaw. That’s my sensible nature.

Yet studs really speed up my winter commutes. I used to get off my bike and walk it on side streets when there was a lot of sludge build-up. Poorly plowed back roads are still not my preferred route to take in winter, but they’re navigable with the Nokians.

White and black ice usually isn’t much of a problem, either, though I make sure to slow down a bit when the street looks shiny. Turns are easy to take, which is a huge relief at intersections. I was riding with Joey Mac last winter, and we went to take a left at an icy intersection, but Joey’s bike kept going straight. A busy intersection is the worst place to fall off your bike, and avoiding that situation just once is worth the price of at least one studded tire.

The brown frozen sludge that cars deposit next to their path, which Jack affectionately calls “car snot,” is probably the most difficult surface to ride on with studded tires. It builds up the most on roads with moderate use, where there is enough traffic to push the sludge next to the motorists’ path but not enough to help melt it all away. When possible I just ride closer to the center of the road, in the right tire track, and let motorists try to figure out how to pass me safely. But when I have to ride in the snot, I drop the bike down to a low gear and take my time. I’ve even ridden uphill through the snot (on Empire Boulevard, by the bay) and that’s something that can’t be done with standard road tires.

Incidentally, the studs handle fine on clear roads. There’s a bit of a humming noise, and a hardly detectable increase in rolling resistance, but nothing that makes me look forward to the end of the season when the road tires go back on. These tires are welcome to stay on my bike for as long as the weather demands.

Cuts through the snow like a hot knife through Earth Balance. 

Now, To Find Studded Boots! 

One hilarious drawback of these studded tires is that they’ll take you to places where you can’t walk. I’ll stop my bike and get off, only to stumble around on the icy surface. I’m happy that my studded tires have made me stop cursing my decision to live in a northern climate while I’m on my bike. Now, for some boots that will do the same while I’m walking.

Last night, as our regional blizzard hit – and to my mind, the snow is a beautiful thing, indeed, at least till the ambient crud turns it to a crappy shade of brown – I went for a two-wheeled spin around the neighborhood. It was at the beginning of what was to become an extended rush hour, and over at Goodman and Clinton, as I’m sure at other major intersections, the fume-belching traffic was stop and go – mostly the former. Even with my Nokians, I slid a few times; the detestable brown “pancake” (a.k.a. “car snot”) was beginning to semi-solidify. This stuff prevents your lugs/studs from getting purchase, so you shimmy a little or a lot. But all in the all, such conditions make for a fun ride; just watch out for fishtailing or rotating SUVs, etc. Rides like this are also work, so you might not click off many miles. My little excursion was more easily measured in yards. But this is a matter of principle. I try to never let a blizzard go unanswered. I mean, isn’t it every RocBiker’s duty to demonstrate that there’s no such thing as “unrideable conditions”? Hey, I also mean within limits. But what limits, exactly? As with jazz, if you’ve got to ask, you’ll never know.

(Footnote: I’ve been away from RocBike for a while because of some health concerns that luckily didn’t turn into anything major, but did throw me off my game temporarily. Great to be back!)

This clinic covers everything you ever wanted to know about shifting, and perhaps a bit more. If you’ve ever felt that your bicycle has a mind of its own when it comes to shifting, this clinic will teach you how to make every shift with with precision and finesse. Come ready to learn about soft pedalling, chainring engagement, chain alignment, and more!

Election Day here was a beautiful near 70 degree day, so I took the opportunity for a nice bike ride along the Genesee Riverway Trail through Genesee Valley Park. Although I have mixed feelings about graffiti, I have to admit that I love this one.

I wasn’t the only one who decided to take in as much outdoor recreation as possible.

It was a truly glorious fall day, and I’m glad I have this ride to remember when I think back to the day Barack Obama was elected.

More Halloween cycling madness! Here are photos from the Critical Masquerade in Rochester.

A RocBike reader sent in this note:

Hi everyone,

I’m in Rochester and I commute to work by bike. I’ve been a RocBike follower for a few months now and I really enjoy reading everyone’s contributions. I learn something new every time I visit the site! I recently designed a cycling inspired shirt for threadless and thought you might like to check it out:

http://www.threadless.com/submission/179352/spokes_in_my_trees

There are quite a few entries, but it would be great to see this in
print! I’d love to hear your thoughts on the design.

I’ve also linked to RocBike from my website (lemonlightning.com) so hopefully I’ve been able to send a little traffic your way.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Ride safe,
jm

I ended up in Rochester for my birthday last Thursday, and met up with some of the old cruisin posse and a couple of other good friends for a birthday cruise to dinner at John’s Tex Mex, my favorite place for vegetarian tacos.

Karl snapped this at our favorite ped bridge to ride over. He’s got more pics on his flickr

Thanks Roc-City for making my birthday a blast! Cheers!

In Hard Times, Profit at Rochester Transit System

By WILLIAM NEUMAN
Published: September 14, 2008

At a time when public transportation systems around the country are struggling with soaring fuel costs and pinched budgets, the bus system in Rochester, N.Y., has done something that few others would contemplate: this month, it lowered its single-ride fare.

Rochester’s Regional Transit Service is no behemoth. It carries 15 million riders a year, as many as the New York City transit system carries in two days. But as economic hard times have reduced tax revenues and increased demand for government transit subsidies, its experiences may provide valuable lessons for larger cities that are planning fare increases, like New York, Minneapolis and Cleveland.

The Rochester system, which expects to run a surplus for the third year in a row, has been able to reduce its one-ride fare in part by eliminating some low-trafficked routes, avoiding debt and aggressively raising revenues from other sources. The fare fell to $1 from $1.25 on Sept. 1.

It has, for instance, reached agreements with the local public school district, colleges and private businesses to help subsidize its operations, warning in some cases that certain routes might be cut if ridership did not increase or a local business did not help cover the cost. In recent years, income from these agreements has equaled or exceeded the income from regular passenger fares.

All the while, ridership has increased by 7.4 percent over the last two years in an area where the population has remained stable. And while only about 1 out of 6 customers pays the single-ride fare (the majority use daily, weekly or monthly passes), the transit service expects further ridership gains now with the fare cut in place.

Read the rest of the article.

We got off to a bit of a funny start – we made our way down the river trail and hit the Greenway where it begins near Genesee Valley Park. At one point, pretty early on, the trail ends and you have to jump onto Scottsville Road to continue on.

Sorry, it’s time to hit the road! 

The Friends of the GVG announce on their site that a trail will be built next to the road in 2002 or 2003, and we can’t wait! Scottsville Road runs through a busy industrial section of town, past the airport, and the shoulder is littered with broken glass, metal shards, and nails. In fact, Jess found a nail with her tire!

The macro lens helps ensure that the nail is the central focus of this picture. 

Lucky for us, I had a patch kit with me, and Jess got to learn how to patch a tube! Twice! Because the nail went through both sides of her tube! 

A perfect learning opportunity 

While we were surveying the damage up on the sidewalk off of Scottsville Road (and looking totally stranded), a cyclist almost ran us over riding the wrong way down the street on the sidewalk. Then he stopped right past us, I thought to offer us help or encouragement, but just to ignore us and adjust his load. We found the situation quite humorous.

As we continued on, we were concerned that we wouldn’t be able to find the point where the trail picked back up, but lucky for us another random cyclist was riding up ahead and turned right down the trail (here’s where he turned). On the way back we found a better way to pick the trail back up – as you head south on Scottsville Road, you’ll hit some railroad tracks a good distance before the intersection with Jefferson (with a railroad bridge on your left). There’s a path on your right immediately after the tracks (here’s where it is on a map). You’ll have to lift your bike over the guardrail, but after that it’s easy to head down the trail and spot where the Greenway turns off to the left.

The Greenway itself is quite lovely. There’s a misconception that it runs along the Genesee River – in fact, the trail runs on the old Genesee Valley Canal towpath, which was later turned into a railroad. You can learn these interesting historical tidbits by reading signs while being eaten by mosquitoes on the trail.

The trail isn’t paved, but in most parts it is relatively smooth, and always wide enough to ride side by side. 

We stopped for dinner at a small park in Scottsville (the faraway town, not the road we had braved earlier) and ate vegan ham and cheese sandwiches by a water treatment plant.

You can see here that our gear-hauling setup consists of milk crates. It works. 

After dinner, we continued on the path, keeping an eye out for a good place to spend the night. At some points the old canal bed looked like a fun place to set up a tent, but in other places it was filled with swampy, stagnant water. As daylight began to fade we kept looking. And finally we found a lovely spot right off the side of the trail. The bugs were out strong that night, so I quickly began setting up tent while Jess got our gear in order.

This picture is from the next day, but I’d figure you’d want to see the setup. 

Safe inside our tents, we heard an ATV roar down the trail, and soon after a bunch of cyclists, one yelling towards our tent “Hells yeah, they have the right idea!” Otherwise no company out late at night.

The next day a recreational rider stopped by our tent. He implied that he’s been out on the trail a lot since he was a kid and never sees campers, and never thought of camping but liked the idea. We made our way back up the trail, passing cyclists and dog walkers along the way.

And we were back in Rochester by about 10:00am. Our little trip was short, but a lot of fun, and I look forward to more S24O trips in the future.

Adventure awaits you in the Genesee Valley! 

Dear News 10 NBC Editors:
On 18 August 2008, News 10 NBC ran a story about Mayor Robert Duffy’s “Zero Tolerance” crime policy. Part of the story featured footage of a Rochester police officer nearly running into a cyclist on a street in the 14621 neighborhood. Reporter Ray Levato cited this as an example of “zero tolerance” for crime.

To use this incident as an example of zero tolerance is destructive to safe and congenial use of the roadways for motorists and cyclists alike.

In this specific scenario, both used poor judgment; the cyclist by not wearing a helmet and not being more aware of the car on his left; the police officer by not signaling or looking back and fulfilling his legal responsibility to exercise “due care.” While both used poor judgment, only the police officer committed a crime; unfortunately, the cyclist could have paid with his life. As a regular bike commuter and occasional driver, I am all too aware that she with the heavier vehicle wins, regardless of who is breaking the law.

As to zero tolerance, I’d like to see the police address the rings of bike thieves roaming our city neighborhoods…three bikes were stolen from my neighborhood this weekend alone, including my own.

Instead of presenting cyclists as criminals, I urge News 10 NBC to explore two related issues: 1) bike theft–who’s committing it, how to prevent it, and information about R Community Bikes (http://www.mpnnow.com/lifestyle/x1542100972), where people in need can get free bicycles rather than buy stolen ones; and 2) safe and courteous procedures for sharing the road between drivers and cyclists.

Sincerely,
Julie White
Rochester, NY
writer for www.rocbike.com

Tanya pulled in to the parking lot, got out of her car, looked him straight in the eye (not an easy feat, since she’s 5’4″ and he was over 6′), and said, “You’re on my bike. Get off my bike.” He got kind of flustered, and said that he paid for it, it’s his bike. This exchange continued for a few minutes, with him getting more agitated and saying, “I didn’t steal your bike…it’s my bike.”

She decided to try another tactic (this was her most prudent moment of the interaction). She said, “Let me start over. My name is Tanya (extending hand). What’s yours?” He reluctantly shook her hand and told her his name. She told him that she’s had the bike for over 10 years, and it means a lot to her, then asked him how much he paid for the bike…the answer, $20. She said, “I’ll give you $40 for it. Get off the bike and follow me home, where I have the money.” He did so, she put it on the bike rack, and in her least prudent moment of the interaction, invited him to get in her car.

His female friend said, “No, he’ll ride with me.” Was she protecting him from Tanya? I don’t know, but I’m glad she did it, for whatever reason.

They followed Tanya home, got their $40, and Tanya had her bike back. This whole thing makes me simultaneously proud and terrified.

But wait…there’s more. Tanya took the bike to Full Moon Vista to get a wheel (since the thieves had replaced her nice one with a cheap one), lights, etc. While there, she noticed a Trek that she had been researching. She called me to come down and try it out.

Kyle sweet-talked me into buying it (perhaps that’s because I practically begged him to give me reasons to buy it). Seriously, I tried it out and I love it! By the way, philosophically I’m totally with Adam on buying from Craig’s list…but there are two factors against such an approach. First, I’m not so patient as to wait until just the right bike comes along. Second, I did not inherit the lesbian mechanical-skills gene (maybe that’s because I’m bi, but that’s another story), and would feel totally overwhelmed at having to make major repairs/parts replacement.

One more thing…perhaps you noticed how well the water bottle matches the bike (come on, you can admit it!). Here’s a closer picture just in case you missed it…
I bought that water bottle on Saturday, the day before my Specialized was stolen. All I can say is that I must have been meant to have this sweet blue Trek.

I brought it home last night, where it is being kept in an undisclosed location…bike thieves, don’t even think about it! Like I said, you don’t want to mess with my butch girlfriend.

Dear News 10 NBC Editors:

On 18 August 2008, News 10 NBC ran a story about Mayor Robert Duffy’s “Zero Tolerance” crime policy. Part of the story featured footage of a Rochester police officer nearly running into a cyclist on a street in the 14621 neighborhood. Reporter Ray Levato cited this as an example of “zero tolerance” for crime.

Unfortunately, the crime was being committed by the officer, not by the cyclist. New York State motor vehicle law has this to say:

Section 1146. Drivers to exercise due care. Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law to the contrary, every driver of a vehicle shall exercise due care to avoid colliding with any bicyclist, pedestrian or domestic animal upon any roadway …

And the New York State DOT web site offers this tip for safe driving near bicyclists:

When passing by a cyclist, check over your shoulder to make sure you have allowed adequate distance before merging back in or attempting a right hand turn. Experienced bicyclists can ride 20-25 mph and may be closer than you think.

Given the responsibility of the driver to exercise “due care,” it is clear in this instance that it was the officer who was at fault, not the cyclist.

The cyclist wasn’t wearing a helmet and admitted to having “bad brakes,” but neither of those facts has anything whatsoever to do with the officer’s responsibility to avoid hitting the cyclist.

I urge News 10 NBC to use this as a teachable moment, and to run a series of segments during your newscasts on safety procedures for drivers and cyclists. Let’s use this near-miss as a chance to score a hit for road safety in Rochester.

Sincerely,

Jason Crane
Founder
RocBike.com

TAKE ACTION!: Ask News 10 NBC to help promote driver and cyclist safety. Feel free to use the letter above or write your own, then send it to news1@news10NBC.com. You can also call (585) 546-5670.

Thanks to Cyclonecross for the relevant legal links.

Chuck and Gary sent me links to the following story:

Cop nearly right-hooks cyclists in Rochester (Channel 10)

Chuck also included these comments:

Check out the video from last night’s channel 10 news. The cyclist was nearly “hooked” by a police cruiser, and the officer decided that the cyclist was not following the “rules of the road”. The written story and commentary stated that the cyclist “darts out from the side”. Clearly, he was simply continuing to travel in his original direction. I think that the cyclist’s mistake was to not take the entire lane.

Dave Moulton wrote about this story on his blog today.

What do YOU think? And what should we do about it?

Not only was it an awe-inspiring race, but you could get close enough to get vertigo from the wheels spinning by as a hundred cyclists rode flat out in the rain.

And, it being Rochester and all (the city that’s more like a small town), I ran into a lot of people I knew, including Kyle from Full Moon Vista, who verbally ambushed me after my awkward ohmygodcrossthestreetbeforemorecyclistscome run across Broad Street with a, “Nice sprint, Julie.”

I do have one complaint…what’s up with the pro women being relegated to a 5:00 start, before all the men, a lower purse, and little to no media coverage. The men’s race was billed as “the main event.”

Anyway, you can find media coverage here.

Put it on your 2009 calendar!

Name: Tucker

Subject: For the Rochester crew–a story of hope

Message: Hey guys, I live and bike here in ROC city, and I blogged
today about a cool riding experience I had involving a positive
interaction with a driver. I thought I’d share it with you, just in
case it was of interest. Thanks for what you do to promote cycling
here in town and all over! My blog’s at www.tooooks.blogspot.com.

Head over and check it out, won’t you? Grazi, Tucker!

Although I’ve been commuting to my office in downtown Rochester regularly for some time now, my job sometimes requires me to attend meetings at the other campus of MCC (Monroe Community College, for non-Rochester readers). That campus is on E. Henrietta Rd., a clogged main artery leading to the land of malls, big grocery stores, empty big box stores, and continued building of new big box stores which will likely fall empty in a few years…and the road is currently under construction so it can handle even more car traffic.

Hence, I have not been anxious to ride my bike there. But then, a stroke of genius! I could ride the Genesee Riverway Trail to the Erie Canal, get off the canal path next to Monroe Community Hospital, and in keeping with Adam’s rules of riding on the sidewalk, take the sidewalk a short distance to campus.

Given that I’ve lived in Rochester for 18 years and been riding the trails for 12, one could say my stroke of genius was somewhat belated. Nonetheless, last week, I did it…I rode from my home (smack between the two campuses) to the Brighton campus of MCC, from there to downtown, and back to my home at the end of the day.

It was a beautiful day, I had little traffic to deal with, and I got in a decent amount of exercise. The only downside was the fact that I changed clothes three times in the middle of the work day. But it’s summer, which makes a change from shorts to a sleeveless dress pretty easy (I keep multiple pairs of shoes at work, as well as an all-purpose dress jacket, so that I don’t have to tote them). Having short hair makes this kind of commute a breeze as well.

Here are some of the highlights.

The path is unmarked next to Monroe Community Hospital.

I’d much rather be on this “roadway” than the one under construction at the top of the post.

This is near the University of Rochester and Genesee Valley Park, where three local trails converge.

The downtown library…a grand building.

Don’t you miss the days when buildings had inspirational quotes inscribed on them?

Home away from home.

The GVG is a flat trail with a hard packed dirt surface. Fat tire or hybrid style bicycle is best suited for this trail ride.

Bring water. Lunch in Scottsville after the ride is optional. Helmets required.

Ride Leader: Richard DeSarra, rdsbike@rochester.rr.com

What started out as one man’s offer to fix a flat tire in the parking lot of a homeless shelter has developed into an incorporated, not for profit, volunteer army that provides more than five hundred bicycles to Rochester’s neediest citizens every year. Who would have thought!!

Bill Danza was serving lunch at St Joseph’s House of Hospitality when he was asked if he could do some minor bike repair for a guest. Bill willingly responded and soon drew a crowd in St. Joe’s parking lot. Bill promised to return the next week and out of that offer and with the assistance of many new volunteers over the years, has come what is now known as R Community Bikes. While the weekly repair and give away of bikes continues, RCB now has its own rented warehouse in one of Rochester’s poorest and most neglected neighborhoods.

Several times each week volunteers working at the warehouse receive donated bikes, patch tubes, adjust gears, true wheels, sort parts and otherwise ready bikes for distribution to those in need. Most importantly, they also greet recipients and hear their stories of need and then try to match the recipient to his/her new found “Cadillac” as the bikes are often called. Bikes are very frequently the most affordable means of transportation to jobs, schools, church, programs and meals at local social service agencies. These agencies also form an important link between individuals and RCB since referral letters are required before a bike can be obtained. This helps insure that bikes will be given to the most needy and most likely to benefit from them.

The current list of agencies referring clients numbers near thirty and ranges from shelters to community centers to refugee resettlement programs. The need is obvious and is growing as our economy continues to suffer. Those most in need seem to suffer first and most and RCB’s goal is to help level the playing field – if only in a small way.

To date this year, RCB has given out more than 400 bikes between our Wednesday program at St Joseph’s and our main location at the warehouse. This monumental task is possible only because of our volunteer base which numbers nearly one hundred as a list but with 15 -20 coming in each week. They are a varied group bringing bike skills for sure but also so much more. We have, among our group, fund raisers, carpenters, printers, electricians, computer experts, grant writers, clerical staff, teenagers, retirees, educators, students, the under and unemployed, bikers, nonbikers, the rich and the poor. The group is varied for sure but all committed to our mission of service to the community.

R Community Bikes is always looking for new volunteers to help us address our mission. We are also in need of specific bike tools, office supplies and for sure monetary contributions since we are a totally not-for-profit organization. Information can be obtained at rcombikes@yahoo.com; at our website: rcommunitybikes.net; by calling Dan at (585) 865-9872; or by visiting us at 226 Hudson Avenue in Rochester.

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.

Remember these days, kids?

The original Team RocBike: Jason Crane, Julie White, honorary member Liz Henderson, Jack Spula, Adam Durand

Saturday, August 9, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday, August 10, 12 noon to 5 p.m.

Start your Omnium weekend fun at Strong National Museum of Play.

On Saturday, see artist Nancy Goethel create a colorful bicycling scene made entirely of…balloons! (Her completed work will be on view Sunday.)

On both Saturday and Sunday, cruise over to a special display of bike-related photos, toys, and cycles from the museum’s renowned collections including a 1890s bicycle built for four.

Make a sun visor and a sign to cheer on the bicyclists before you head out to the races.

All activities are included with general museum admission fees. For more information and easy directions visit www.museumofplay.org.

Seasonal Exhibit on Bicycling August 1 to September 30.

The museum has tapped into its world-renowned collections to create a special bicycle display in honor of the Rochester Omnium.

See modern and historic cycles including a four-in-hand (a cycle built for four riders from the 1890s); a 1910 safety bicycle with a skirt guard (designed especially for women); several modern racing bikes; and children’s bikes and tricycles of various eras.

Also on view are historical photos, paper dolls, and paper toys that document the popularity of cycling over the past century.

This exhibit will be on display on the museum’s second floor from August 1 to September 30.

Eric Larsson sent this message today:

The classic cycling film Breaking Away is screening on Friday, July 25 at 8 p.m. at the Dryden Theatre at the George Eastman House on East Ave in Rochester. For anyone who arrives by bicycle for this screening, we will offer a $4 admission to the movie. Regular admission is $6.

More information about the film can be found at the George Eastman House site.

I love this movie, and have written about it here and here. You should really go see it on the big screen.

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.

• RNews story

Keith also sent a link to a Bike To Work Day piece on the Today show:

• Bike To Work story

I am distinctly NOT of the “no pain, no gain” mind set. I rather think that life brings plenty of unwanted pain all by itself, and there is no need to bring more upon myself. I’m more of the, “If it’s not fun, why do it?” mind set.

Strangely, and quite surprisingly, I found my 45-miler a complete pleasure. I started out looking like this, at about 10 am:

In between, at 2 pm, I looked like this:

I ended up looking like this, at 5 pm:

See what I mean…happy in the beginning, middle, and end. I won’t describe the route itself, as portions of it have been well-described here and here. I rode from near the University of Rochester on the Genesee Riverway Trail, all the way up to Lake Ontario, back to the U of R, through Genesee Valley Park, and to Perinton, just past Schoen Place in Pittsford, on the Canal Trail, then back home to the South Wedge of the city. I highly recommend it. Varied and beautiful scenery, and lots of places to stop, use the facilities, fill the water bottle, and grab a bite to eat.

Go to my flickr set for more pictures.

I will, however, share a few things I learned in the process of preparing for this ride.

1—Ride the route in advance! This was the mistake I made back in November, and I was determined not to make it again. I’d ridden from home to the lake two or three times before the big day, and from home to Pittsford/Perinton many times. I knew what to expect, how to pace myself, and when my next stop would be.

2—Although contrary to my nature, some amount of training was necessary. Throughout the icy winter I stayed in shape by taking spinning classes. I always thought that biking inside was rather silly and pointless. Maybe, but it’s a great workout, and I doubt I could have done the 45 miles so painlessly otherwise. Then, as soon as the weather got nice, I got back outside and made sure to get in some longer rides than usual.

3—Make it public. I am not so sure I would have actually done this, by my birthday, had I not posted my personal challenge here and at My 45th Year. May is a crazy time for someone so integrally connected and committed to the educational system through my children, my work, and graduate school. Normally I would have been writing rather than riding on a day off from work in May, and it would have been very easy to just say, “I’ll do it later,” if I hadn’t made a public commitment.

4—Rest and stretch along the way. There is a picture, from which I’ve spared myself the public humiliation, of me on the ground in a rather unflattering yoga pose. But the stretching helped keep me going and minimized next-day soreness. We stopped about every 10 miles, took some pictures, got some water, had a snack, and stretched. And we stopped at about 30 miles for a nice lunch. At that point I really needed the fuel. We also stopped in at Towpath Bike in Schoen Place, where they had this sign that says it all.

(Just for Jason…now HERE’s a packet boat:)

5—Find a buddy. It really helped to have my partner Tanya along for the ride. She’s been cheering me on all year, getting me to take spinning classes, making sure I remember to get out and ride, and her company on the big day was invaluable.

6—Use your mind to help you along. After lunch, we biked out to the turn-around point . At that point, it was only 15 miles back home. I decided to think of it as a separate ride. Just a little 15-miler. No big deal, I do it all the time.

And speaking of mind games, watch out for self-imposed limits. I was one of those kids picked last in gym, scrawny, and nerdy and brainy on top of it. Notice that “athletic” is not on that list. At some times during this year I had to remind myself that I can do this. I still don’t think I’m athletic, but I am fit, strong, and healthy.

Now, I should say that I was not totally pain-free after the ride. About two hours after, I crashed and I slept very soundly. That night and until about mid-day the next day, my body was a little stiff and pretty tired. But considering that I expected to be dragging myself to the 45th mile, a little soreness after the fact seemed like a victory.

The next big event for me will be the Adore Your City bike ride. I’m not sure if I’ll do all 4 routes, though. I suspect that me and my clunky hybrid may be struggling to keep up with the group speed, so it depends on how that goes. Will I see any Rocbike readers there?

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

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?

And this week, on my ride to yoga class, where I met my daughter, my new Ortlieb panniers managed the task of carrying our two yoga mats admirably.

I splurged on the panniers after I decided that an XtraCycle is not right for me, at this point. (Sorry, Jason!) An XtraCycle is great if you want to be able to give someone else a ride, but my 17 and 19-year olds aren’t likely to want to be seen on the back of their mom’s bike. And everyone else I might be traveling with would likely ride their own! So, I got the panniers instead; they hold plenty of groceries and are very easy to use. I recommend them if you’re in the market.

Bikes, chickens, and yoga…together here on RocBike.

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!

My partner Tanya and I rode it, in preparation for that 45-mile bike ride that really is going to happen…only a few weeks left! This ride will be a portion of that longer ride.

It started out great…a beautiful sunny day. We stopped at High Falls and watched the peregrine falcons nesting at Kodak Headquarters chase away a kestrel.

The RG&E station at the lower falls produced a nice rainbow, and you can see from the turbulence that it was a windy day.

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We had an uneventful ride up to the lake. There were lots of people using the trail, which was great to see. At the lake, this group of sailboats caught my eye. I know nothing about sailing, but they sure were pretty.

On the way back…well, that’s the part where I thought I was gonna get squished. The trail narrows significantly under the Veteran’s Memorial Bridge. And, there’s a slight curve going north that means that you might want to be aware that there could be cyclists/walkers coming towards you, going south, or you could run right into one another.

But, sometimes awareness eludes the best of us. I’m right at the narrowest point, coming south, and three cyclists zoom by me. The first one and I each startled the other; by the time either of us regained some sense, the other two were upon me. He yelled, “Rider!” but it was really too late. I didn’t get hurt or anything, just a bit startled. Instinctually, I hugged the wall to my right, not realizing until a few minutes later that I had scraped up my right arm.

The lesson–beware the trail under the Veteran’s Memorial Bridge!

Otherwise, it was great riding all the way back, although the hill climbing out of the lower falls isn’t my favorite.

We took a break at the Center for High Falls which documents the history of this region. Rochester tried to make this area an entertainment district, but it flopped miserably. The architecture is really interesting, though, and now there are plans in the works for housing. Let’s hope that works out better!

All in all, a great way to get back outside on the bike!

Last sunday I was lucky enough to find myself in Rochester, with friends, a bicycle, and a boombox. Unfortunately I am back in another state now, but the cruise goes on in Rochester, check them out on wednesday nights:

www.flickr.com/photos/whittikerowens/2404142061