My First Century

I bike to go places. When not biking for transportation, even my recreational riding has a destination - a park for a picnic, a campground for the night, a brunch spot - even if it may just seem like an excuse to bike somewhere. 

After several years of touring, I finally had a reason to bike 100 miles in a day. In planning a bike trip from Madison to Rock Island State Park (off the tip of Door County), Peter and I decided to camp the first night north of Milwaukee.

On a fully loaded touring bike, with hands numb from gripping the handlebars and a big desire to get out of the saddle, I joined the Century Club sometime near midnight and somewhere just south of Cedarburg. 

Instead of staying up to celebrate, as soon as we got the tent set up and my sleeping bag unrolled, I went to bed. In the morning, we had coffee and a typical, yet delicious, breakfast at a main street cafe in Port Washington. Recharged, I was ready to complete the additional 80 miles up to Two Rivers, where we would rest for a day before continuing north along the Lake Michigan coastline. 

Guerrilla campsite off the bike trail

Make a Bike Touring Journal

When out on a bike tour, it's nice to have a place for notes on your route, where you stop along the way, your pace, observations, and for a general record of your journey.

Peter and I have gotten into the habit of keeping detailed journals while bike touring. It's fun to refer back to when taking the same route later, as well as simply to reflect back on a fun trip. Still, I never had a specific journal for this, rather, I'd just grab some small notebook I had lying around.

This year I decided to make a touring-specific journal. I chose a light, thin Moleskine notebook that would be easy to personalize.

I used the photo scraps left over from an earlier project, letter stamps, a potato stamp, gel medium, and my trusty X-Acto knife to decorate the cover.

Now I just have to wait for spring to take my first tour of the year!

Potsdam Bike Trip

The bicycle tour we took while in Germany was a day trip to the City of Potsdam. We started on the northern edge of Grunewald, a forest on the western edge of Berlin, and biked through the fall colors along Lake Wannsee about 12 miles to the City of Potsdam. The terrain was a bit hilly, which was a change from the completely flat topography in Berlin. As many people on road and touring bikes powered up the hills pass us, we had a tinge of homesickness for our touring bikes.

We had a bite to eat and walked around Sanssouci Park, the site of summer palaces that once belonged to Prussian royalty, before we took our bikes on the train back to Berlin.  

Berlin Biking Families

For many Berliners, everyday cycling is a family affair. The most common methods are either carrying the kids in a bike seat or staying on the sidewalks with the kids riding or striding along on their own little bike. Unlike in Madison, trailers are a rarity.

Berliners Bike

Dutch bikes and other types of practical bikes for transportation are the most common to be seen in Berlin. Several bike shops in Berlin specialize in Dutch bikes. However, this photo collection perhaps over-represents the Dutch bike contingent a bit, simply because they are more interesting to photograph. Although fewer in numbers, distance commuters dressed in bike-specific garb can also be spotted in Berlin, especially if you're out in the early morning hours. Like their American counterparts, these creatures wear bright colors, spandex, clipless shoes, and nearly always a helmet. Only a small minority of the rest of the cycling population wears a helmet.

We found that Berliners on bikes are much more likely to obey traffic laws than Madisonians, specifically in terms of stopping for traffic lights. While bicyclists may act more predictably, so do Berliner motorists, who seem to be on the lookout for bicyclists when stopped at an intersection and waiting to turn onto another street. A number of times I was pleasantly surprised to see a motorist about to cross the bike lane before making a right hand turn, but then come to a stop, look over his right hand shoulder, and wait for me or other bicyclists to pass before crossing the bike lane. - It’s a level of bike awareness among motorists we were unaccustomed to in Madison. Also, what’s strange to us is that there does not seem to be a look of annoyance or impatience on these drivers’ faces, even though they are often delayed by cyclists.

When overtaking other bicyclists, it is not common in Berlin to give a warning. It took a few times of being surprised by a biker passing within about a foot with no warning to be ready for this possibility. It is advised to ride on the right hand side of the bike path/lane in a straight line, as you see other Berliners doing.

While many aspects of Berlin bike culture seem to fit the German stereotype of orderly behavior, the amount of sidewalk riding then comes as a surprise. Although the sidewalk space is typically fairly wide, it did seem a bit chaotic for bicyclists to be weaving around pedestrians. Bicyclists will take the sidewalk if the adjacent street space is too busy or it is simply more convenient to ride on the sidewalk, such as to avoid a one-way street. Also, parents accompanying small children on bikes typically take the sidewalk over the street.

Berlin Bike Infrastructure

Bike infrastructure in Berlin has some different features to that of the US. First, cycle tracks (bike paths) separated from traffic and placed next to the sidewalk are a common feature. Yet, bikes are not always well separated from traffic. For instance, motor vehicles, the tram, and bikes share the same space in the Boxhagener Street (was part of my daily bike commute). In this environment, cars quickly accelerate to pass around bicyclists, which can be a bit intimidating.

There are bike turn lanes and turn-specific signals.

Although pavement paint is not used everywhere, the color red designates space for bicycles. 

Our Berlin Bikes

Peter and I spent the month of October 2013 in Berlin, a very bike-friendly city. Soon after we arrived, we identified MietRadMitte as the first bike rental shop to try to find our bikes for the month. The shop’s website advertised Gazelles for rent with a slogan that would translate as “Elegance on two wheels.” We imagined riding around town on swanky black Gazelles like so many other Berliners.

When we arrived at the small basement-level shop, we were presented with maroon-colored Gazelles for us to rent at a reasonable price. Yet, these maroon Gazelles were not of the same high-quality standard as the ubiquitous black Gazelles. The rental bikes were not as solid, well-built or smooth-riding as one would expect from the Gazelle brand, but they still served their purpose as our main means of transportation and were no embarrassment to ride. The fact that they were used to the point of being a bit rickety just added some character - like a pair of well-worn jeans.

I commuted from our sublet apartment in Friederichshain to my daily German class at the Goethe Institut in Mitte (center of the city), about three miles away. Dutch bikes and my Fjallraven backpack, which I found to be a common item in Berlin, allowed us to better blend into the city’s population and experience the Berliner everyday. 

After five weeks in the saddle of the maroon Gazelle, it was bittersweet to say "tschüss."

Manhattan by Bike

My work producing The Ben Heck Show took me to New York City for the World Maker Faire. Before spending the weekend filming the show and seeing the latest and greatest in the maker movement, Ben and I had a day to explore the city.

After checking out a couple of citibikes, we headed out on a separated bike lane and got to experience the NYC bike infrastructure. The most notable thing about my experience was all the salmons, that is, the bikers and skateboarders going the wrong way on the bike lanes.

DBC City Bike Design

Image from dbccitybikedesign.com

On a recent trip to Boston, Peter and I visited DBC City Bike Design downtown. We stood on the corner of Pearl and Purchase streets for a moment, unsure if we were at the right address, before we realized we were standing just outside the door leading to the basement level shop. The shop’s interior was about as inconspicuous as its entrance. There was a handful of various types of bikes, mainly Dutch in origin, but the shop was lacking in retail accessories. It felt more like a workspace and that’s because it is – there are no bikes for sale, only orders for custom builds.

Bikes about Boston

I recently took a trip to Boston. As I walked around the city, I noticed these bikes:

Portland's Transformation

by Peter Herreid

Portland wasn’t born a bicycle-friendly city; it had to earn its platinum rating from the League of American Bicyclists. A variety of actions dating back to the 1970s laid the groundwork for advocates to transform Portland into a bicycle-friendly city in the 1990s and 2000s. In the 1970s, Portland chose to remove the Harbor Drive freeway along the west bank of the Willamette and create the much more inviting Waterfront Park. Portland also chose to redirect funds from the creation of a freeway that would have run through the southeast section of the city towards investment in light rail. An urban growth boundary was adopted in order to contain urban sprawl and focus growth inward onto Portland’s traditional street grid, leading to a more compact and bikeable urban area. 

Filmed by Bike

If you were to trace the lines of art and cycling culture to where they intersect, you would find yourself at the Clinton Street Theater in Portland for Filmed by Bike, a festival of bike-themed, short films. This year’s 10^th anniversary festival included a variety of genres, such as music videos, documentaries, animations, and comedies.

Bicycle Rights! Portlandia Clip

When mentioning our Portland trip to co-workers and friends, the most common reaction has been, “Have you seen that show Portlandia?” Of course, I had seen the viral “Bicycle Rights” Portlandia clip. Someone obnoxiously taking himself too seriously makes for good comedic material and serves as a reminder to not be that guy.

What adds to the clip is that Portland seems to have long ago gotten the “bicycle rights” message. It shows in the political and media attention to the rights of bicyclists, the investment in bikeways, and the acceptance of bicycles by Portland’s motorists, demonstrated by a greater willingness to share the road.

For the record, birds in Portland do not ride little bikes.

Portland’s Three-Mile Downtown Bike Path Loop

by Peter Herreid

If you want to take a nice little bike ride in the heart of Portland, hit some highlights with the Steel Bridge - Hawthorne Bridge loop. Because it follows the banks of the Willamette, you can’t get lost, which is kind of nice if you are new to town. The loop also includes Portland landmarks, such as the floating section of the Eastbank Esplanade. Of course, you can always figure out how to best extend the loop with the city’s Portland by Bicycle map. 

Mountain Bike? Yes!

Forest Park, Portland

 It's a bike that I rode on a mountain. Enough said.

St. Johns Bridge – Portland, How About A Warning?

by Peter Herreid

During our stay in Portland, one day we had biked a nice tour of the NE bike boulevards, or “neighborhood greenways” as they are referred to locally, and wanted to cross the Willamette River to get to Forest Park. The Portland Bureau of Transportation’s bike map, which had till then faithfully served us, showed St. Johns Bridge as having a “multi-use path closed to motor vehicles.” Fortunate for us we thought, because it was the only bridge up and down the river for miles, so off we went. 

Approaching the bridge, the sidewalk didn’t exactly look like a multi-use path, but the road looked too dangerous to bike, so we stuck to the sidewalk. Now, you should know that heights make me nervous. I wasn’t sitting upright on my rented Dutch bike anymore. I was tucked low, nearly into a road cyclist’s racing position. 

 

Before the first tower, I was walking it up the sidewalk. Although the railing was high enough above my waist that it would take a conscious decision to jump over, it was not reassuringly high above my waist. Looking down to my right, through the bars of the bridge railing I could see warehouses, docks, and boats on the Willamette, all toy-like in the distance, yet all too real. To my left I couldn’t see much, but could feel the swoosh of each passing truck and then the heavy mist of rain droplets and road wash left in its wake. I couldn’t tell if or how far the passenger side mirrors were hanging over the sidewalk, but imagined them as baseball bats swinging through the air, just feet from my head.  

Bike Rack Yarn Bombing

I found this yarn bomb in front of our hostel in Portland.

Biking to Portland's Markets

Bike to Portland State University’s campus on a Saturday and you'll find a bustling farmers' market. After buying a delicious lunch prepared by Verde Cocina, we sat down in the square within the market. As we ate and listened to live music, we watched Portlanders enjoying their version of a treasured Madison pastime - Saturday mornings at the Dane County Farmers’ Market on Capitol Square - that and some PSU students hula hooping in the grass and little kids imitating them.

Handmade corn tortillas

A short bike ride later, we arrived at the packed arts and crafts market which is held in a park along the Willamette River.

U-Fix-It Bike Station

Kerr Bikes

As I cruised along the riverfront heading to the Portland Saturday Market, the path was packed with cyclists and pedestrians enjoying the sunny afternoon. I was happy to spot a free, self-service bike repair station, because my bike seat needed to be raised a bit.

I liked that the station made the tools needed for basic repairs accessible to the passerby, as well as empowered cyclists to do it themselves. For the inexperienced mechanic, it can be easy to pass even the simplest repairs and adjustments to a trained professional, but then you'll never learn.

Portland's Bicycle Boulevards, Where Bikes Take the Lane

By Peter Herreid

Portland’s local streets are a showcase of bicycle boulevards, streets “with low vehicle traffic volumes where the movement of bicycles is given priority” (Portland City Code). A bike boulevard is a shared street with no specific bike lanes or paths, yet is inviting to bicyclists because of a variety of design features:

·   Sharrows (shared lane markings) remind bicyclists and motorists that bicycle travel has priority, as well as invite bicyclists to ride down the middle of the lane and not hug a row of parked cars where they are at risk of being doored.  

·   Flipped stop signs give bike boulevards the right of way (meaning stop signs face cross streets).

·   Traffic diversions reduce vehicle volumes – a variety of means adapted to specific sites are used to block or divert vehicular traffic, yet the barriers let bikes through.

·    Traffic calming measures, including:

o   Speed bumps

o   Roundabouts 

o   Curb extensions or bulb outs

o   Tree plantings

·   Facilitation of crossing at busy intersections with curb extensions to narrow crossing distances and extended traffic medians to serve as refuge islands

·   Signs that identify a street as a bike boulevard

·   Wayfinding signs that list destinations in miles and minutes by bike

 

·   Plentiful bike parking, including on-street bike corrals

Portland has established a grid of bike boulevards overlaid on a traditional street grid with a total of 59 miles already built and 15 more miles in the works. From a planner’s perspective, an advantage of bike boulevards is that they do not require a radical renovation of existing streets. Not only are they cheaper than cycle tracks and off-street paths, but most bicyclists also prefer them to bike lanes on major roads. Bike boulevards can also retain much of their original car parking, which avoids a political obstacle to their implementation.  

 

Portland’s bike boulevards offer a tourist a chance to better get to know neighborhoods and view the well-landscaped lawns and gardens of Portland’s residential streets. They are also very popular with locals. According to Portland’s Bicycle Plan for 2030 (adopted in 2010):

Bicycle boulevards, in particular, have proven to attract high numbers of riders due to the level of comfort they provide, the mobility function they serve and their proximity to where people live and travel. Indeed, bicycle boulevards have become among the city’s most popular bikeways. 

The Portland Bureau of Transportation prefers the term “neighborhood greenways” for the city's bike boulevards, because Portland has been upgrading basic bike boulevards with stormwater treatment, tree plantings and greening of private residences, community programming, and artwork at intersections. Portland will also be lowering speed limits to 20 mph on neighborhood greenways. They have been described as “park-like,” because the benefits extend beyond better bicycle infrastructure to make streets more pleasant for jogging, walking, and socializing with neighbors.  

For more information on Portland’s bike boulevards, visit the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s Neighborhood Greenways webpage, watch this Street Films video, and check out this bicycle boulevard planning and design guidebook.