When I was riding predominately for sport and fitness, I had the freedom to choose when and where to ride. Consequently, I mostly rode during off-peak times on relatively low travelled roads or bike paths, avoiding those areas I knew to be congested and dangerous.

Now that nearly all of my riding is for transportation, I don’t always have the option to pick and choose my routes, and I often find myself riding during peak hours. This new exposure to intense, and sometimes dangerous traffic has forced a rethinking of my approach to urban/suburban cycling.

For the longest time I was an advocate of John Forester’s “vehicular cycling” principles. Vehicular cycling is described as “the practice of driving bicycles on roads in a manner that is visible, predictable, and in accordance with the principles for driving a vehicle in traffic.” That sounds good and reasonable, and in some situations I still use a vehicular approach. But there are times, while encountering difficult and complex traffic situations, that adherence to strict vehicular cycling techniques no longer works for me.

For example, on some of our 6-lane suburban “parkways”, it is nearly impossible to ride a bicycle in a manner that is “in accordance with the principles for driving a vehicle in traffic.” Cars on these roads travel 3 abreast at 50-60mph; because the speed differential between cars and bicycles is so great, and the distance from the right shoulder to the left turn lane is so far, it’s not realistic to “drive” a bicycle on these roads as a part of the normal flow of traffic.

One alternative in these dangerous conditions is to ride on the sidewalk and behave as a pedestrian at intersections, using crosswalks and pedestrian traffic signals to navigate. A majority of the sidewalks on the major parkways in our area are completely under-used by pedestrians, and are separated from the road by a grass median (see main photo at top). In every way, they closely resemble what other cities might label “separated bikeways”. For the longest time, due to the stigma associated with riding on sidewalks, I avoided these pseudo bikeways, choosing instead to ride out in the traffic lane at all costs. But over time, I’ve come to the conclusion that given the option of a 40mph speed differential with cars, or a 10mph speed differential with pedestrians, the sidewalk option can be a wise choice if the conditions warrant it. (Of course, in a dense urban environment, where sidewalks are full of pedestrians, and business store fronts face the sidewalk, cycling on sidewalks is ill-advised.) This is an example of a change in tactics I should have made sooner, but didn’t, due to my overly strict adherence to a particular school of thought.

As my cycling habits have evolved, so has my overall approach to cycling tactics. Now, whatever the difficult traffic situation, whether it be a 6-lane parkway, a narrow shoulder, a vanishing bike lane, or something else, I try to use a little more pragmatism and little less dogma. This more flexible approach has made my cycling experience safer and more enjoyable.

To help alleviate the bike rack overcrowding that often causes cyclists to be left at bus stops, Santa Cruz County, CA, in conjunction with three area bike shops, is offering up to $200 off on folding bikes for multi-modal commuters (folding bikes are allowed on board all Metro buses, even during peak hours). All Santa Cruz County residents are eligible; the only requirement is attendance at a free, 2-hour bicycle safety training class. Now that’s my kind of subsidy (if only I lived in Santa Cruz)! Visit Ecology Action for more information.

Dr. John Pucher, Rutgers University Professor of Planning and Public Policy and bicycle advocate extraordinaire, recently gave a presentation at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, B.C. titled, Cycling for Everyone: Lessons for Vancouver from the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany. This is the best presentation I’ve seen on the benefits of increasing cycling in our cities and how to go about doing it. The video is over an hour long, but if you’re at all interested in the subject, it’s a must see.

Click here to view the video.

Further Pucher resources:

• Pucher @ Rutgers
• Cycling Safety on Bikeways vs. Roads
• Promoting Safe Walking and Cycling to Improve Public Health
• Making Cycling Irresistible: Lessons from the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany
• Momentum Magazine Interview

As expected, due to the change in focus from the Recumbent Blog to EcoVelo, there’s been a flurry of both new subscriptions and unsubscriptions on my e-mail notification list. A number of people have sent me e-mails asking to be removed from the list, but this isn’t necessary. If you’d like to unsubscribe, please go to the “Subscribe via -E-mail” page (click here), enter your e-mail address, check the “unsubscribe” button, and click “send”. If you’d like to be added to the e-mail notification list, follow the directions above, but check “subscribe” instead of “unsubscribe”.

Thanks.

So far, it’s been a fun ride. The goal was absolute reliability in any weather, as it tends to rain a lot here in Portland and I don’t have time to be adjusting things these days. The Sutra frameset, with it’s faults, ended up being about the best non-custom fit I could find. If I had my choice I probably would have used a Rocky Mountain Sherpa, but that would mean parting out the rest of the bike, paying $1000 or so more up front, and not having adjustable dropouts which help so much with the speedhub. The Cotic Roadrat was another interesting idea, but I’m not sure how well it would handle loaded touring. Routing the fender stays was interesting — I had to bend them by hand around the disc brakes and even so they just barely work. Cable routing was a challenge as well, as you can see in some of the other pictures. But for the most part, things came together pretty well.

As for riding impressions, well, it’s solid, fairly heavy (I’m guessing ~30 lbs), and very very stable. The brakes are just incredible in the wet: strong, silent, and fade-free. The dynohub/light combo is fantastic as well, with the auto-light-sensor doing its thing behind the scenes with no thought from me and putting out plenty of light. Many of the parts (seat, cranks, skewers, rack, etc) I’ve had for a while now so they just feel normal. The speedhub is taking some getting used to. I love the range, and the simplicity, but I don’t love the 7-8 shift, and I really dislike the grinding in the lower range. I’m told this will get better, and I hope it will, but at the end up the day there’s really no competition.

Let me know if you have any questions. For now, this will be my “daily rider” to and from work, and maybe some day (when Lucas is a bit older) I’ll get to test out its loaded touring capabilities.

Finally, thanks goes out to Dean at Clever Cycles for sourcing many of the parts, including the big red thing on the rear.

Just a quick parts list for those interested in such things:

• 2006 (NOS) 54cm Kona Sutra frameset
• Rohloff disc QR Speedhub (OEM2) with Monkey Bone
• Schmidt disc Dynohub and shifter
• Mavic A719 rims (32h) with brass nipples, DT 14/16/14 spokes
• Pitlock skewers and ahead cap
• Schwalbe Marathon Supreme 700x32cm tires
• Avid BB7 mechanical disc brakes
• Chris King 1 1/8″ NoThreadSet
• Cane Creek SCR-5 brake levers
• Salsa short & shallow 44cm bars
• Ritchey Adjustable stem
• Brooks B-17 ti saddle, leather handlebar tape
• Thomson Elite seatpost
• Tubus Cargo rear rack
• SKS fenders (hand to bend the stays)
• B&M Lumotec IQ Fly Senso Plus (whew!) front light, D Toplight XS Plus rear light
• Phil Wood Ti BB with steel cups
• Shimano XTR M900 (1st generation) cranks
• SRAM PC68 chain
• Shimano A-530 SPD/flat pedals
• Incredibell

—Dolan

Coasting downhill is the cycling experience that most closely mimics flying. It’s the perfect natural consequence and just reward for the hard work of getting to the top of a hill. There’s nothing quite like finally cresting a hill and feeling the pull of gravity take you down, down, down the other side, while you silently glide and swerve, dodging potholes and weaving between the dotted yellow lines like a hawk floating on an air current.

“Serious” cycling, that being cycling for sport as in road racing, mountain bike racing, time trials and the like, took away from me this most enjoyable aspect of cycling. Serious cycling would have the cyclist pedal all the time at the same cadence; uphill, downhill, into the wind, with the wind, all the while frantically shifting between 27 (or even 30 now) gear combinations, turning the rider into a humanoid Lime drive. Serious cyclists don’t coast.

Of course, if a person is racing, there’s good reason to pedal all the time; the object, after all, is to get to the finish line first, and coasting doesn’t contribute to forward momentum. Where it all breaks down though, is when edicts from the Racing Gods trickle down and infect the thinking of average, non-racing schmucks like me. The latest How to Win the TDF manual may suggest that it’s most efficient to keep your cadence high, constant, and within a narrow range, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s an appropriate technique for a leisurely ride to the coffee shop. [Note to self: Efficiency has its time-and-place and we do well to recognize when-and-where it is-or-isn't required.]

It took a decidedly inefficient bike, and the desire to avoid soaking my street clothes, to reintroduce me to the joys of coasting. A 50-pound bike with a 5-speed transmission is not conducive to maintaining a “high and steady” cadence. As a matter of fact, a 50-pound bike with a 5-speed transmission pretty much discourages anything remotely resembling such behavior. A 50-pound bike wants to go at its own pace, not unlike a stubborn mule that knows the route and will take you to your destination at her pace, thank you very much. What you learn, when riding a mule masquerading as a bike, is that working with the bike, not against it, is the only reasonable approach. And you also learn that a mule-bike requires extra effort from the rider to get to the top of the hill, but it doubly rewards the rider by going down the other side like an anvil dropped from a third story window.

Most people don’t consider excess weight to be a desirable quality in a bike. As a matter of fact, many people spend silly amounts of money to shave even sillier amounts of weight from their already silly-light bicycles. Uber-light bikes go uphill like crazy, but they’re no good at all for encouraging a coasting state of mind. They’re the most serious of serious bikes that demand to be pedaled continuously. And while they may be “light as a feather”, without a willing engine they go downhill about as fast as a feather on an updraft. A 50-pound anvil-bike smokes an 18-pound feather-bike in a downhill coast-off.

But I digress. Of course, as a famous cyclist once said, “It’s not about the bike.” Whatever your ride, coasting is actually a state of mind, a desire to experience again the free rides and the long glides of youth, a chance to let go of the trappings of serious cycling and once again fly like an eagle.

The Surly Long Haul Trucker is a popular choice for loaded touring, but it also makes a wonderful commuter, particularly for those that live in hilly terrain and have a need for wide range gearing. This attractive 56cm LHT was just built-up for a customer by my friend Rick Steele at Gold Country Cyclery.

Thirty years ago I lived in a bush town near Kalgoorlie in Western Australia and worked at a nickel mine some 10km from my home I had a choice of commutes; eiher via the main road or through the bush.

Once I’d bought myself one of the earliest model Mountain bikes, the bush route became easily the more popular. I could tell you a thousand stories of my daily rides to and from the mine, from low level bombing raids from the local bird population, to a face to face confrontation with a very beautiful and very deadly Dugite (Snake).

When I reached the mine, my bicycle was the only one to be seen. We had a workforce of about 150 men all of whom drove to work. I was considered to be at least slightly eccentric or, more often, raving mad.

That was thiry years ago. Last year I returned to my old haunts and visited the mine. There would have been up to 20 bikes leaning against the fence. I doubt that the miners are more inclined to exercise, rather that the increase in cycling to work has been brought about by higher petrol prices.

Now I am retired so my commute days are over, which, happily, gives me more time to ride my bikes. —Terry

I have a short commute I have been riding for a few years now. Sometimes I’ll ride my mountain bike to work and take an extended turn through a large park that runs along a local ridge in New Haven, CT. There is a lot of wildlife there, I’ll see ducks, hear frogs, see deer and wild turkeys, but the weirdest thing I saw was a deer carcass that had either rotted away over the winter or some carnivores had had at it.  It was picked pretty clean and freaked me out when I first saw it near the trail.
—Glenn, Hamden, CT, Riding a Canondale touring bike from 1985

Photo courtesy of Velo Vision © 2008 George Ferguson

I posted you a pic of my Nazca Fuego a few months ago for the Recumebnt Blog. Now that you have started a new project I thought you may be interested in this. I use this Bernds Tandem design around Edinburgh, Scotland. Still in production with some alts. Rohloff, Schmidt, Hope components. Was featured in Velo Vision a while back. Pretty worn now but an interesting take on making a compact tandem that can carry loads. Carrying two people is only half of what it can do. Pic here shows that you can carry a large bag over frame. Course it takes panniers front and back for touring but for quick use a bag with straps is so much easier. Rear wheel folds so it can fit on a train. Looks weird but makes it same length as standard bike. We don’t have a car so it does get used and can take a wide range of riders. Regards and well done on both your sites. Very nicely photographed and presented.
—David

Many thanks to Velo Vision (my favorite magazine) for use of the main photo and the first two smaller photos. Visit their website and consider a subscription! And many thanks to David for sharing his interesting Bernds with us – cool bike! —Alan

I’ve been reading the recumbent blog for a couple of years. I think it is an excellent idea to start the ecovelo blog to get people to see bikes as transport rather than toys. Over here in the Netherlands bicycles as transportation are so common that it’s easy to forget that the situation is very different elsewhere.

For the EcoVelo gallery, I’d like to introduce my daily transport;

A black Challenge Hurricane tour with under seat steering that I bought at the end of last year. It was specifically made as my day-to-day transport. I use it for commuting to work and for grocery runs. Essentially it’s for all regional transportation that doesn’t require a car because of weight or bulk.

It has several adaptations to make it suitable as a daily transport; Sturdy Velocity Aeroheat ETRTO 40-406 rims with Schwalbe Marathon HS-308 tires. A low rolling resistance is nice, but comfort and puncture resistance (especially when driving onto a curb) are more important. A Rohloff 14-speed hub gear is used for reduced maintenance and the ability to switch gears while standing still. The front chain ring has 62 teeth while the rear sprocket is 17 teeth. This puts the 11th gear (1:1) at a cruising speed of around 23 kph. The chain ring has covers on both sides to keep pants out of the chain. :-) A chain tensioner was built into the top idler above the front wheel by Frank ter Braak from ‘de liggende hollander’ who built me this bike. Most of the chain is enclosed to help keep it (and the bike and rider) clean. Mudgards are also essential in this aspect, since this bike is used come rain or shine. Shimano XTR hydraulic disk brakes provide plenty of stopping power independent on the state of the rims. Rear suspension is provided by a Rock Shox SID element. The seat cover has two sides, one covered in leather for when it’s cold or wet, and a ventilated mesh side for summer. A B+M Lumotec senso plus headlight is fed by a Schmidt hub generator, while the rear LED light is fed by batteries. The rear rack carries a Radical Design large Allfa bag, which gives 30 liters of luggage or groceries capacity while maintaining a reasonably aerodynamic profile. An Axa Defender ring lock with attachable chain is used to keep the bike safe when parked outside.

Keep up the good bloggin’! —Roland

I’ve created a “Commute Stories” category to house readers’ stories from the road. I’m a big believer in sharing knowledge and I know we have a lot to learn from one another, so if you’re willing to share your bike commuting story, I’d love to post it here on EcoVelo. Just send your write-up in the body of an e-mail to alan@barnardesign.com, and if you have an accompanying photo, please attach it to the same. Thanks!

Cycling sandals have become increasingly popular over the past few years, and for good reason; they’re comfortable, light, convenient, and walkable. I’ve been wearing Shimano sandals for the past 18 months and I find them to be far more comfortable than traditional cycling shoes, both on the bike and walking about. As Sheldon Brown put it, “These are my very favorite footwear. In the summertime I go for weeks on end without ever having anything else on my feet. Far and away the most comfortable cycling footwear ever.“

I too love my Shimano sandals, but I always felt they’d be better with a closed toe box (a la Keen) to keep my toes a little warmer in the winter and provide some protection in the event of a crash. Consequently, I was excited when I caught wind that Keen was coming out with a “Shimano Killer” cycling-specific sandal.

Called the Commuter, Keen’s new bike sandal features a full length SPD compatible plate, a thermoplastic urethane cleat tap plate, and an upper that is nearly identical to Keen’s ever-popular Newport H2. (The Newport H2 is half sandal, half trail running shoe, with open straps and a treaded sole similar to traditional sandals, but with an enclosed toe box for protection.) The Commuter goes a step beyond the Newport with a stiffer sole and more compact tread pattern to narrow the overall profile, resulting in greater crank clearance and a more positive pedal/shoe interface (don’t let the narrower outsole scare you; both sandals are built on the same men’s “D” width last).

The narrower profile is key. My Brompton is outfitted with platform pedals (a necessity due to the nature of the little folding beast) and I found the Newport outsole to be far too wide, with crank interference on the inside and a feeling of tipping off the pedal to the outside. The Commuter, on the other hand, with its narrower profile and stiffer sole, perfectly mates with a standard width platform pedal. There’s also ample clearance with clipless pedals, even on low “Q” cranks like I have on my Tour Easy (this was a bit of a problem with the Shimano sandal). So, whether you’re of the clipless persuasion or, as Grant Petersen puts it, you prefer to pedal “free”, the Commuter is a good fit.

Even with an enclosed toe box, the Commuter feels more like a sandal than a shoe. It’s well ventilated and the upper is supple and easily adjustable using Keen’s unique “bungee cord” lacing system. They can literally be slipped on and off in seconds while being plenty secure for road riding. You do pay a price for the Commuter’s cycling-specific features. Even though it’s not a bad sandal for short walks and even a bit of light (very light) hiking, the wider and more supple Newport is far better for long walks and more demanding conditions. That said, the Commuter is probably the most walkable cycling-specific shoe on the market.

The Commuter successfully combines the ease of use, comfort, and walkability of a sandal with the stiffness and toe protection of a cycling shoe. Because they’re built with the same high quality and attention to detail that is typical of all Keen products, they should provide many seasons of trouble-free use. And who knows, with their enclosed toe box, you might even be able to get away with wearing them around the office!

For more information: www.keenfootwear.com

Photo © idogu

Bicycle production has skyrocketed in recent years, with output increasing each of the last six years and nearly quadrupling since 1970. Yet, while overall bicycle usage has increased in many parts of the world, bicycle usage in the United States has decreased overall, and bicycle usage for transportation remains dismal, with just 0.4% of commute trips taken by bike. Even so, the Earth Policy Institute sees reason for optimism due to increasing advocacy and investment in cycling infrastructure nationwide.

From the Earth Policy Institute, J. Matthew Roney, 05.12.08:

and

Read the full story here.

The bike is a Pashley-Moulton TSR8 (road test forthcoming). The image was created using Autopano Pro to stitch together a set of seven photos taken in quick succession.

Stock bars and grips : cramped and uncomfortable

The Problem
The Brompton S-Type folding bike comes outfitted with a low, narrow, mountain-type flat bar for better aerodynamics and lighter weight than their other models. It’s a popular configuration, but people frequently complain about the minimalist, 105mm-wide, factory-supplied handgrips. After riding my Brompton for a couple of months, I too have found the stock grips to be uncomfortably narrow and lacking in support. Normally I’d just replace the stock grips with a pair of my favorite 130mm-wide Ergon GP-1 grips, but on the S-Type there’s not enough room on the narrow bar for a full-width handgrip, shift lever, and brake lever.

The Solution
One possible solution was to keep the stock bar and cut down a pair of standard 130mm grips to the Brompton 105mm width. I tried this with a pair of size-L Ergon GP-1s, but found it to be an unsatisfactory solution. The Ergons did provide more lateral support, but my hands were still cramped and confined along the width of the bar.

Stock bars, modified Ergon grips : more comfortable, but still cramped

Ultimately, resolving the issue required replacing the stock handlebar with a Race Face Air Alloy mountain bike flat bar (any standard 25.4mm mountain bike flat bar would work equally well). Installation was simply a matter of replacing the bar and trimming with a tubing cutter to the minimum width required to accommodate the full-width Ergon grips, brake levers, and shifter; this ended up being approximately 515mm (35mm wider than the stock Brompton bar).

Wider bars, full-width Ergon grips : roomy and comfortable

The new bar/grip combo is a dramatic improvement over the minimalist stock set-up. The full-width Ergon grips provide substantially more shock absorption and support, and the brake lever and shifter are in a more ergonomically correct position in relation to the grips. The overall width is only slightly wider than stock and doesn’t affect the fold at all. Brompton would be doing their customers a big favor by supplying a wider bar and better grips as standard equipment in the future.

A video on the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) website highlights their policy of allowing folding bikes on their trains at any hour of the day, including peak commute times (full size bikes are not allowed on BART trains during rush hour due to overcrowding). Of course, I’d prefer an increase in service to accommodate all cyclists at all hours, but it’s nice to see folders promoted as an alternative.

• View the video

The Slow Food movement, and other associated Slow initiatives, aim to combat “time poverty”, and other ills brought on by our increasingly hectic “fast food” culture, by promoting simpler, slower-paced, self-sustaining lifestyle alternatives. We’re not participating members of any Slow organization, but we’re all for the ideas of slowing down, keeping it simple, and taking time to smell the roses.

One way we do this is with what we call a Slow Ride. A Slow Ride is much like any other bike ride, but with its priorities on straight. On a Slow Ride, we set a purposely slower than normal pace, possibly stop to shoot some photos and/or observe the local flora and fauna, work in an errand if need be, and maybe even take the time to enjoy a picnic (gasp!). A Slow Ride is directed more by the pace and enjoyment of the associated activities and less by the concerns of Serious Cycling. Taking a Slow Ride doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll negate getting a workout, it’s just that the focus is more on the overall experience and less on performance. As a matter of fact, often times when we take a Slow Ride we’ll end up out-and-about and on the bike much longer than if we set out to cover a specific distance and “log some miles”. A Slow Ride is considered successful if we catch a glimpse of a wild animal, or the angle of the light is just right to capture a particularly beautiful photo. The success of a Slow Ride is not predicated upon besting our elapsed time over a measured route or passing a roadie in team kit.

We find these Slow Rides to be wonderfully calming and restorative; they very effectively peel away the layers of stress accumulated over the work week. So if you’re feeling a little over burdened, you might try slowing down a little and taking a Slow Ride with a good friend; you might be surprised at what a change of pace can do for you.

I have been peak oil aware for a number of years and have seen the wisdom of cargo-hauling bikes for a long time, and the xtracycle “Free Radical” system seems like the best overall way to add a trailer and heavy duty hauling capacity there is. The Cruzbike is unusual (front wheel drive) but it eliminates the long-chain that robs most recumbents of some efficiency. The combination seems to work pretty well. —John

Photo © Jonathan Maus, BikePortland

A majority of mainstream bicycle manufacturers marketing to the U.S. audience would still have us believe bicycles are primarily intended to be used for entertainment by baby boomers with an abundance of discretionary income and leisure time. In the U.S., bikes are marketed as fashion statements, requiring replacement every couple of years for fear of looking passé. They’re marketed more as fitness machines and “healthy lifestyle enablers” than transportation. Carbon fiber frames and uber-lightweight components and wheels only feed into this consumerist, disposable bike mentality.

In the U.S., bikes are marketed as fashion statements, requiring replacement every couple of years for fear of looking passé.

Stroll down the main aisle of any large, mainstream bike shop and on one side you’ll see mostly carbon fiber and aluminum racing bikes with spindly wheels, splashy graphics, and pencil thin, high-pressure tires. On the other side you’ll see mostly mountain bikes with crazy monocoque frames of every shape and configuration, complex long-travel suspension, and bristling knobby tires. In front of the shop, you’re likely to see a line-up of brightly colored 50 lb., one-speed retro-cruisers. And if the shop is keyed in to the latest fashion trends, they may have a half-dozen pseudo fixed gear track bikes to cater to the suburban high school crowd, which seems to have bought hook-line-and-sinker into the gritty, urban courier image (it’s more than bizarre to see suburban teenagers cruising to the mall on “fixies”, though at least they’re on a bike and not in front of the television). I’d volunteer that all of these bikes are only marginally useful as anything other than toys.

If the shop happens to be located in a large urban center and is somewhat progressive, you might find a small section of “commuter” or “utility” bikes sequestered in the back near the restroom. These bikes are the ugly ducklings of the bike world (only recumbents are more disdained) and don’t garner much attention on the sales floor. They look clunky with their fat tires, fenders, racks, lights, and upright seating positions that conjure up images of your mother’s 3-speed junker. They’re heavy and they have subdued graphics, they lack curb appeal and they make an anti-fashion statement: “Look at me, I’m a clueless nerd.” Sadly, these are the bikes most people need if they’re going to use them for anything other than entertainment, but they get lost in a sea of glitz and glamour.

Since when did bikes become fashion statements, with their design and functionality being driven by marketing and image over practicality and usefulness? As recently as the late ’80′s you could walk into a bike dealer and find a balanced selection of practical bikes on the floor. Somewhere along the way to 2008, the emphasis went from building practical bikes for real people to ride everyday, to pumping out Tour De France and World Cup look-alikes to fulfill aging baby boomers’ racing fantasies.

I’d like to suggest that it’s time we start thinking about bikes as tools again. With gas prices approaching $4 per gallon, peak oil on the horizon, and the looming environmental catastrophe that is global warming on many peoples’ minds, there’s never been a better time to seriously look at bikes as a legitimate alternative to the automobile and give up this ridiculous idea we have in the U.S. that bikes are only playthings for the well-to-do.

Posted by Alan in Op-Ed | 6 Comments | Bookmark or Share