The first step toward a rain solution

Posted by Daimon on November 19, 2012
General / No Comments

It seems that the rain really will just continue to come down, but now I have a partial defense against Seattle’s drearier elements.

My previous attempt at biking in a proper rain (getting around in the more usual misty conditions isn’t really an issue – even a couple months in, I barely notice any moisture in the air that isn’t actually falling, but instead hanging there, waiting for you to run into it) left me with the unpleasantness of sitting around in wet jeans for hours after the ride.

This time, however, I added one crucial piece of gear to my arsenal.  Last week, I picked up a pair of rain pants at REI, which were worth every penny I paid. They are loose enough to be comfortable to move and pedal in, and fit easily over my jeans. But they also have fasteners at the bottom, not only to keep rain from getting in underneath, but which also serve to keep them well out of the way of my chain (which is a better solution in the rain than rolling up my right leg to avoid the disaster of having my pants caught in the gear at high speed). Continue reading…

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Headed downtown

Posted by Daimon on November 14, 2012
Photos, Rides / 5 Comments

In many ways, I know my Seattle biking experience doesn’t really speak to most other people’s biking experience.

My personal geography patterns cover a small area of Seattle, mostly north of the ship canal. I live in north Fremont and most of my trips are between there and the University of Washington for my graduate program. I don’t think this is a unique footprint, but it covers a pretty insignificant portion of the city limits, much less the greater metropolitan area.

Even in my small space I deal with hills, the challenges of sharing roadways with traffic, a few dedicated bike trails and the difficulties of Seattle’s weather. Most of these are, I think, universal in this city to varying degrees. But it misses a lot of other common experiences – I almost never travel in or between the densely populated areas of Capitol Hill and downtown, which numbers alone suggest must be a common trip and probably requires dealing with steeper grades than I am faced with.

So to break out of my well-worn path, at least slightly, and because the whole point of this exercise is to find out if a bike is a realistic primary mode of transportation, I decided to take a ride downtown, a trip I’d made only by bus or car so far. To choose a destination, I figured ‘What’s more Seattle than heading to Pike Place Market?’ The answer is probably anywhere,  I know, but I hadn’t been since moving here, and I think I have to at least go once before starting to roll my eyes at the very mention of the market and complaining about how it’s only for tourists. (At least I assume that’s how long-time residents react. I moved here from D.C., and that’s basically our reaction to anything anywhere near the Mall.) Continue reading…

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Trying to make it easy to bike at UW

Posted by Daimon on November 12, 2012
General / No Comments

Even after riding to and from the UW campus for more than a month and doing some quick research on bike resources on campus, I had no idea the university had self-service bike maintenance stations, including (in theory) air pumps.

Thanks to a classmate who’s also biking for pointing this out. The campus has five repair stations next to bike rack locations, although they’re easy to miss if you don’t know they’re there. Even with the map of the locations, it took me a second when I got to the spot before I found the tools handing from a repair stand.

The tools are a nice touch, but what I was really looking for was the air pump – I realized my tires were woefully low. At the first spot I tried, the air pump was simply missing. At the second, the pump was missing the presta valve fitting. With my tires still hurting for air, instead of continuing to try each of the five locations to see if any of them had functioning pumps, I simply stopped by the ASUW bike shop in the HUB and used one of their floor pumps.

The self-service stations are a good idea. It’s a shame they’re not better marked (and a few signs alerting bikers to their existence at other main bike racks around campus would also help), and a bigger shame the air pumps – probably the most commonly needed tool – aren’t there.

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Wet

Posted by Daimon on November 07, 2012
Rides / No Comments

I’m well aware that it rains in Seattle, although so far my time in this city has been mostly dry. Even on rainy days, the sky has politely stopped dropping precipitation when I venture outside.

Until last week, when I had to get to class and the rain was definitely coming down. With actual drops, even, instead of simply misting. So I decided to see how I’d fare on the bike. I still don’t have much in the way of rain gear (not just for biking – I don’t have much rain gear for simply being outside in wet weather) but I made do. My laptop went into a plastic zip-lock in my backpack for the ride, a dry shirt was wrapped up and off I went.

As soon as I started, I understood why adding after-market fenders is a cottage industry for the bike shops in town. My fender-less bike threw up water ahead and behind me, although my backpack didn’t seem to have a problem taking the brunt of the spray.

Once again, I arrived at 45th Street right as a bus pulled up. And again, I wrestled with my desire to simply hop on (understandable, I feel, as it was raining) before decided to stick with the bike. On one hand, this was a wise choice, as I handily beat the bus to the U District. On the other, I did end up getting fairly soaked.

Not completely soaked – my non-rain coat handled the rain better than expected, and even though it was wet on the outside, it didn’t seep through and my lower top layers stayed dry. And my new gore-tex shoes worked even better than expected, keeping my feet dry despite the constant spray from the tires.

But wearing jeans isn’t really the best option for wet weather, and even on a short ride of a couple miles they were completely soaked through. On the plus side, the brisk day of around 50 degrees wasn’t so cold to be a major issue, but it was cold enough to still be slightly uncomfortable.

To be fair, this outfit would have left me fairly wet even if I was walking – the bike only accelerated the process. But it did reinforce a few things I’d already guessed:

  1. Biking in the rain is certainly doable, if you understand there is water involved and you’ll likely get slightly wet.
  2. I need to figure out a proper rain outfit, so I don’t spend an entire Seattle winter in wet jeans.

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Bikes can be better for business

Posted by Daimon on November 05, 2012
General / 1 Comment

A while ago, I read Tom Vanderbilt’s book Traffic. There were lots of interesting looks at the various aspects of how and why traffic looks like it does, but one of the main takeaways for me was often what people think is in their best interest when it comes to transit is counter-intuitively bad for the network and community as a whole.

Vanderbilt didn’t, as far as I remember, talk much about bikes, but I was reminded of that point recently when a friend sent me a New York Times post. According to the city, transit initiatives such as bike lanes and better bus service has increased business in the affected areas. Not all of these initiatives were – or are – popular, as evidenced by the comments on the post. People accused the city of making up the numbers. One commenter said they didn’t believe business was up, because parking spaces were down. Because they believe the lack of parking is a hindrance to business, the numbers that disagree must be wrong.

I’m always a little surprised when I hear arguments that seem to equate better biking facilities with hurting the ability of people to get around in cars or otherwise having an unavoidable negative effect on everyone that isn’t on a bike. In most cases, traffic doesn’t seem to be a zero-sum game – helping one person or type of transit doesn’t mean hurting another.

Which is why it’s been kind of a shock to see opposition, online and off, to finishing the “missing link” of the Burke-Gilman Trail. The other day I saw a commenter somewhere refer to it as something like “that job-killing bike trail in Ballard.” As someone who is trying to become a more regular biker, and who finds it often easier to run short errands to businesses by bike rather than car (no waiting for a parking space) or bus (no waiting for a bus), it seems a no-brainer to link two sections of existing bike path when there seems to be space for it that doesn’t affect the existing roadway. But as best as I can tell, for many people losing parking spaces is a horrible fate. It’s an interesting reminder that not everyone is interested in getting around outside a car.

Along the water

Posted by Daimon on November 01, 2012
Photos, Rides / No Comments

So far, all the photos I’d taken while biking were with my iPhone. Perfectly serviceable, but I realized I hadn’t taken any pictures of the Ship Canal Trail on my last trek, and it made a good excuse to bring along my slightly better camera to try and capture some nice fall shots.

The South Ship Canal Trail, under the Fremont Bridge

The start of the trail under the Fremont Bridge (well, start for me – I suppose a decent number of people think of it as the end of the trail) is exactly the kind of otherwise-hidden spot I wouldn’t see without heading out on a bike. As I don’t live next to it, I would have been unlikely to walk to the trail, and driving above on the Fremont Bridge you hardly know this quiet spot exists down below.

The trail starts by passing under the bridge, then pops out the other side in a different world.

Despite the traffic above on Fremont Bridge, the fallen leaves, grassy bank of the ship canal and ring of trees create a pocket of quiet and near-solitude,except for a few bikers and joggers going by.

Fremont Bridge

Further along, the character of the trail changes, turning more industrial as it approaches the Ballard Bridge. The bucolic scene of leaves and grass moves to a paved-over experience, leading through the back entrance of parking lots for waterfront businesses. The short trail provides a quick transition between the postcard-friendly sights and the everyday commerce of Seattle.

After a slow ride west stopping for photos, I made a quicker trip back east. As I reached the Fremont Bridge, I decided to continue along the water instead of turning north and heading for home. I haven’t ridden much south of the ship canal, and my knowledge of Seattle geography is still iffy, so it didn’t really dawn on me that I was tracing my way south along the west side of Lake Union, riding along an access road lined with parking stretching the entire way, until the line of buildings between my path and the lake stopped, opening up into a small park space giving a vista across.

I pulled out my small tripod and managed to get a few shots of the evening lights around the lake before my camera battery gave out, and I headed home. I hadn’t intended on taking the detour south when I headed out, but it gave me another reminder of how relatively small the city is.

Evening light on south Lake Union

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A few answers for rainy days

Posted by Daimon on October 29, 2012
General / 2 Comments

Thanks to reader AJL for pointing out that the day after I asked what equipment I’d need to survive Seattle’s rainy season, Seattle Bike Blog went ahead and answered my question.

After asking the question here and offline, a few people let me know there wasn’t any must-have equipment for biking, beyond what is must-have for doing anything in the rain.

From Seattle Bike Blog’s post:

Do you own warm clothes that you wear when walking in the rain? Then you already own everything you need to bike in the rain.

Most city bike trips do not require special clothing, even in the rain. Over time, you will discover outfits and items of clothing that make rainy biking more comfortable. But don’t get intimidated by your lack of bike-specific clothing. If what you own keeps you dry enough to wait for a bus or to walk a few blocks from a parked car to your destination, then it is good enough for a quick bike trip across town.

So far, I’ve gotten lucky. Even when the day has been rainy, when I’ve headed out on my bike there have been breaks in the rain. The worst I’ve had to deal with so far is the light mist, or, as it’s known in Seattle, “the air.”

But I’ve realized I’m not quite ready for a long, wet winter. The cold I’m prepared for. The soaking wet, not so much. Tops on my want list: good gloves that will dry quickly, and a better rain jacket. I’ve got a thin rain coat, but it looks like a warm, water-resistant jacket will be more than welcome in the coming months.

Also, I like this description from the SBB post. I don’t know if I’ll find rainy biking will be quite as much of a pick-me-up as this, but I’m willing to try.

Especially once days get really short and gray, biking is my best defense against seasonal affective disorder. Pedaling is like generating your own sunshine. It keeps you feeling energized and in touch with Seattle’s natural rainy whimsy that you might miss otherwise.

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Taking the long way

Posted by Daimon on October 26, 2012
Photos, Rides / 2 Comments

Starting anything new can be intimidating. If you don’t know the culture, the layout or how things are done, getting up to speed in any activity is daunting, especially if everyone you see looks like an expert.

No matter how familiar you are with an area in a car, it is an entirely different place on a bike. The major auto routes become places to be avoided, and the side streets that frustrate in a car can reveal wonderful surprises on a bike. There is also a feeling of vulnerability, especially at first. I know some people who hesitate to ride a bike in a city out of nervousness about sharing the streets with cars and trucks. Most city streets don’t bother me, although I try to stay away from multi-lane arterials if there’s not space for a bike on the side. The feeling is, the faster traffic is going, the less likely they are to notice or make way for a cyclist.

I didn’t expect any of this to be an issue the other day when I wandered outside for a brief afternoon ride. I’d noticed a trail on the Seattle bike map paralleling the ship canal to the south, on the opposite side of the water from the Burke-Gilman, and decided to take a look. Continue reading…

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Beating the bus

Posted by Daimon on October 24, 2012
Rides / No Comments

Most of my trips to campus have been along the Burke-Gilman Trail, because it’s just more fun to zip along on a trail dedicated to bikers than to stay on the streets.

The trail isn’t the straightest path from A to B, though. It adds distance to head south to the trail, wind along the water to the south side of campus, then wind through campus to the north side where my classroom building is. So when I realized I was running late this time, I decided to take the direct route.

As I hit 45th Street, a 44 bus was pulling up, which mirrors my route most of the way. I briefly thought about stopping and hopping on the bus, especially since a slight wind was cutting across my non-gloved hands (item No. 1 on the priority list – good gloves). Instead, I decided to stick it out on the bike and rode past the bus as it was picking up passengers.

The late-afternoon traffic along 45th Street was moving, but slow. In several spots I was able to roll past long waiting lines of cars. By the time I got to the U-District, I’d not only stayed ahead of the original bus I’d decided to forego at the start, I caught up to the 44 bus ahead. And the direct route shaved nearly 15 minutes off my last trip to class (although part of the reason is I know how to get to the building from the north, and still don’t have my bearings totally for winding through campus).

All in all, a win for commuting by bike.

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Gear up – with what?

Posted by Daimon on October 22, 2012
General / 4 Comments

I sit here with the rain dripping outside my window, and I realize I’m not equipped for this at all. At least not to take on this weather with my bike.

Since I mostly use my bike for relatively short (five mile) commuting or errand runs, I’ve usually been a fair-weather biker. If it’s nice enough to jump on and go in jeans, I’m there. Perhaps toss a shirt in the bag to change into at the other end. I’ve never bothered to get proper gear even for slightly longer recreational rides, figuring my athletic shorts and a T-shirt would work well enough.

But now I’m trying to get a little more serious about this bike thing, and use it to get around even when the weather doesn’t cooperate. I might even become more adventurous and try to push into the dozens of miles on pleasure rides instead of being happy to break double digits. So I’m aware there are some necessary items I’m missing, but I’m less sure what exactly they are.

So for those of you who are used to hopping on a bike throughout the Seattle winter – how do you equip yourself for the elements? What are the must-haves for a wet biker’s wardrobe?

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