Bike Week + Some Rules to Remember

Bike week: what a wonderful time to wrap up this project and get close to summer. I can’t believe that I am in my last week of classes at KSU. Graduation will be bitter-sweet. However, let’s focus on the now. Manhattan’s Bike week is going on. There are several activities every day, so check them out! Here’s a few to get you started:

Tomorrow before class stop by Varsity Donuts for some breakfast, show your helmet and to get free drink with your donut. (P.S. it’s bike to work day)

Wednesday there are booths at Boscoe Plaza. Such as free bike maintenance and talking to bike friendly businesses.

For more events the rest of the week check out Bike Manhattan (not all of them even require a bike!)

All other things aside, the rise in gas prices have drivers looking for alternative modes of transportation. And though I feel Manhattan is more bike friendly than many communities in the midwest, it is not perfect. Fault can be put in many places: the city for not creating the ultimate infrastructure, the drivers for not watching for cyclists, and the uninformed cyclist riding the streets. It seems that I have noticed more bikes around Manhattan this year than in my 5 years here. And that is awesome, but many of them are inexperienced on basic rules of cycling, and I cringe when I see people make mistakes that could create a danger. Basically here is a breakdown for some basic safety:

– a bike should yield to pedestrians, the sidewalk is their territory, especially on campus.

– follow the same rules of the road as a car, this includes stopping at a stop sign, and using hand signals so the drivers know what to expect

Though I am wrapping up my time as a blogger, I am certain that my cycling days will continue. This project has helped me break my reliance on my car, honestly. I feel silly now driving places that are so close to home, and usually for reasons such as meeting a group for classwork close to sunset. As much as I love cycling… the dark is not a fun time to ride without a good light (it probably doesn’t help that my neighborhood has no streetlights). So for now, I am restricted to the daylight. But my work has not been in vain, I did get two of my friends at different times to go places with me via a bike. From the planning stages it was a worry of mine that going somewhere with multiple people would be difficult on a bike (tandem bikes excluded, since I don’t have one). I felt that it was a small victory to drag other people away from their cars. And here comes the best part….. they liked it. My college age friends were happy (and nearly willing) to get some physical exercise outside on a nice afternoon. I will not hold my breath for them to accompany me when the weather is not exactly ideal. But I suppose I can be satisfied for the time being. And for one last cartoon……

The Results: Manhattan Cycling vs. Car

Ok, so I took some time this week to extend my cycling beyond campus. Maybe having a new road bike, and my vintage cruiser bike back in commission was motivation. Let’s start where, as a student, I feel like I spend most of my time: Campus. I live a fair distance from the main K-State campus, about 3 miles. It is walkable, a former roommate of mine did it when she had a flat tire and a test to get to, but it is somewhat impractical. Officially, on the mountain bike it takes 12 minutes from my garage to the classroom. To drive to campus takes about 7 minutes, but the kicker is parking. I have not had a parking pass since I lived in the dorms my freshman year. I actually park off-campus, but close. I takes about 15 minutes to walk to class from where I park. So to add it all together: 7 minutes driving + 15 walking = 22 minutes to class. Cycling wins by 5 whole minutes.

Next up: To Aggieville. I measured the time from my house to Varney’s on both vehicles. Riding my Mountain Bike again, it took 15 minutes to cycle to the ‘Ville. I  timed the drive to Aggieville, it took 10 minutes, but I didn’t take the time to park so let’s add 2 minutes. Another factor was that I drove down in the evening. From where I live, I either have to go around or through campus to get there, so depending on the day you could add another 1-2 minutes for pedestrian traffic and crosswalks. A drive to Aggieville for me can take anywhere from 12-14 minutes. Ok, so driving is faster in this case, but is it 1-2 minutes really that much of a difference?

Stop 3: Westloop Dillons. A person’s got to eat right? I live really close to the grocery store, so I felt that this location could be a wash, but it wasn’t. I took my vintage cruiser bike this time. It may be slower, and much heavier, but it has a basket. If I had actually bought groceries, that would be my choice to get them home. It took a whopping 4 minutes to get there, probably could have gotten to Dillons faster on another bike, but what’s the fun in that? So the car was a short 2.5 minute drive. With a 90 second difference, it is worth taking the bike to reduce the emissions. Especially if you are anything like me, and make trips to the store about 3 times a week. However, there is a fatal flaw: the new building has no bike rack or anything else to secure your bike too. (unless your really brave and willing to lock it to one of the cart deposit things in the parking lot).

For the final location, I went outside the city limits: The Tuttle Creek Marina. It was about a 20 mile round trip, but we are only counting one way. So, I finally got to go somewhere on my road bike, and it was a long ways for a first ride. I didn’t really keep track of time at the half-way point, but I do know the round-trip time and can deduce that to the marina is approximately 40 minutes on a bike. Likely to no one’s surprise the car smokes this time with a 20 minute drive. But I am still giving this one to the bike. The State Park is not a place that you often go for nothing. It is often a special occasion; camping, meditation, feeling close to nature, whatever the reason it’s likely not everyday. One thing that I noticed, was the car ride was not near as pretty or exciting as the cycling up there. Yes, I took the same route. But the car windows are dirty, your moving faster, you can’t smell the trees and flowers as you pass. I notice so much more when I am cycling. Really, it’s a much different experience.

Yes, the car won most of my trials, but I will probably still go places on a bike anyway. The differences in time are relatively minute when all is said and done. Manhattan is not a big place, and sparing 5 minutes to reduce your carbon footprint is worth it. Here is one last reason to ride your bike:

Driving is Faster. Is it a Myth?

Ok, I know it has been a long time since my first post, but a life has a way of getting crazy. In the past few weeks I have had a death in the family as well as watching one of my good friends walk down the isle. On better news, I have continued my project along the way, riding a bike to campus probably 85-90% of the time. My weakness has been the wind. I love my 29er Mountain Bike. In the world of mountain biking, the larger wheel translates to speed and the ability to climb just about anything. However, a larger wheel also means it can catch more wind, and back to my weakness. When comparing the experience of riding my 29er as a commuter bike in Kansas to a road bike, the difference is like driving a Jeep vs. a Corvette. Sure, they both get you there, the Jeep is just more comfortable on the trail, and the Corvette was built for speed and aerodynamics.

My father has taken pity on me, and given me an early graduation present: a composite road bike! I have literally only had it 2 days, but a question from my Dad has sparked a thought. He asked whether I get around Manhattan faster on 2 wheels than 4. I know that I get to classes significantly faster, but that is mostly due to the parking issue at K-State. I average about 10 minutes, from the time I close the garage door until I walk into the classroom, for my 3 mile ride to campus. According to my cycling computer, my speed is between 10 and 20mph the whole way, and that’s on the mountain bike. The road bike can smoke those speeds, but what about other places around town? For instance, what about somewhere where parking isn’t as big of an issue? Is Manhattan big enough to see a time difference? What about a trip to Wamego? I feel that owning a road bike has opened up these options for me. I did some research, and I found an episode of Top Gear UK in which the hosts race to the airport on a variety of vehicles including a bike…. Top Gear Video. My goal over the weekend is to test some of these commuting Manhattan times. My cycling computers save trip times, so it will be easy to set a base to compare to car times.

One last note, my older brother and then myself have lived in the same house with roommates. Over the years, roommates have left various bicycles in the shed to rot away. Recently we have decided to get them in working order. Here is the first: It’s a Next full suspension mountain bike, it is a smaller frame, and just needs new tire tubes. Best part, IT’S FREE! Let me know if there is someone in need of transportation.

Free Bike!