Category: Northwest Cycling

2012 Seattle Bicycle Expo fits all styles of bicycling

How do you ride your bicycle: Transportation? Recreation? Competition?

The Cascade Bicycle Club made sure all types of bicycling got plenty of treatment at the 2012 Seattle Bicycle Expo this weekend.

Another aspect of two-wheeled fun greeted me on Saturday every time I walked down another aisle at the Smith Cove Cruise Terminal venue or attended another presentation at one of three stages.

For instance, BMX freestylers flying through the air, above, shared one section of the lower level with a display of nearly a dozen family and cargo bicycles designed more much less radical movement.

Kids and cargo

The Family and Cargo bike group is affiliated with Cascade. You’ll often see them at the Bicycle Sunday events at Seward Park during the summer.

Family and cargo bicycling “is exploding” in interest …

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2012/03/11/2012-seattle-bicycle-expo-fits-all-styles-of-bicycling/

76 stolen bikes recovered in Seattle sting operation

Schwinns. Cannondales. Novaras. Mongooses (Mongeese?) Specializeds. Windsors. Cervelos. Scotts. Diamondbacks. Mountain bikes. Road bikes. Commuter bikes.

They were all purchased for pennies on the dollar in the Oliver’s Twist sting operation set up by the Seattle police department.

The phony fencing operation scored more than 900 stolen items over the 11-month period it operated out …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2012/03/07/76-stolen-bikes-recovered-in-seattle-sting-operation/

2012 Seattle Bicycle Expo returns Saturday and Sunday

Bicycling fans will be cruising on down to the Smith Cove Cruise Terminal this weekend for the 2012 Seattle Bicycle Expo.

Presented by the Cascade Bicycle Club, the annual event features some 200 exhibitors as well as speakers, demonstrations and performers.

Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2012/03/07/2012-seattle-bicycle-expo-returns-saturday-and-sunday/

Chilly Hilly bike ride should live up to its reputation on Sunday

If weather forecasters are accurate, Sunday's 40th annual Chilly Hilly bike ride should hold true to its name.

The Sunday forecast for the Bainbridge Island perimeter bike ride is “mostly cloudy and chilly” with a possibility of showers and a high of 44; wind out of the west at 8 mph.

That's the kind of weather that cyclists expect for Chilly Hilly, along with the 2,675 feet of elevation gain over the rolling 33 miles course. The photo at left is from 2007, a cold wet day.

Of course, cyclists didn't complain …

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2012/02/22/chilly-hilly-bike-ride-should-live-up-to-its-reputation-on-sunday/

Seattle map shows 5-year span of traffic-related bike crashes

Justin Mayo at the Seattle Times created this useful interactive map showing the locations of all traffic-related bicycle crashes from 2007 to 2011.

Posted on Saturday, the map shows larger dots for multiple crashes and red dots to locate fatalities. Based on data from the Seattle Department of Transportation, this could be a tool to help people find bicycle routes that need special attention.

An accompanying article reports 1,847 traffic-related bicycle crashes between 2007 and 2011 in which 10 bicycles died. …

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2012/02/19/seattle-map-shows-5-year-span-of-traffic-related-bike-crashes/

Raising money for AIDS/HIV treatment on STP bike ride

Folks who ride their in the Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic do so for many reasons — bragging rights, setting a personal best or simply experiencing an iconic Northwest cycling event.

But some use the 204-mile bike ride — in one or two days — as a fund-raising challenge for their favorite charity.

This year, the Cascade AIDS Project is forming a group — Team Ride4CAP — to train and ride STP together …

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2012/02/18/raising-money-for-aidshiv-treatment-on-stp-bike-ride/

Time-lapse video of Sunday's Seattle Bike Swap

Never been to the Seattle Bike Swap?

Here's what you missed on Sunday. David Stern shot and posted this time-lapse video of the show at the Titanium Sporkestra YouTube page.

You'll see some hot and heavy negotiating for bicycles and gear going on in the foreground.

And as the video rolls toward its conclusion, you'll see what they mean by …

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2012/02/15/time-lapse-video-of-sundays-seattle-bike-swap/

Smooth bike-riding on newly renovated Burke Gilman Trail section

News that the 8-month renovation of a 2-mile section of the Burke-Gilman Trail reopened at noon on Friday sent me out on my bicycle this weekend to enjoy the fresh pavement.

The smooth riding was enjoyable, but I wasn't prepared for the trail's transformation from a narrow path to a bicycling superhighway.

Comparing two photos here of the Burke Gilman Trail crossing at 147th Street, it's hard to believe they were taken at the same location. The photo below was grabbed from trailviews at Googlemaps.com; I shot the one above on Sunday afternoon.

Changes like that are evident throughout the entire stretch from Log Boom Park to 145th Street.

This 2-mile section of the 18-mile Burke Gilman Trail …

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2012/02/13/smooth-bike-riding-on-newly-renovated-burke-gilman-trail-section/

Need bike stuff? Seattle Bike Swap is Sunday

Everything bicycle — from whole bikes down to individual sprockets — will be for sale cheap at the Cascade Bicycle Club's 17th annual Seattle Bike Swap.

The only advice is to arrive early for the sale that runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall at 225 Mercer St.

Some 100 vendors have signed up for all the table space as of Thursday. They include bike shops trying to clear out some inventory as well as home mechanics with stuff to sell.

Although it's too late to get a table, you can still bring in a bicycle to sell on consignment …

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2012/02/10/need-bike-stuff-seattle-bike-swap-is-sunday/

Beating the bike lane grit left behind by snowstorms

If you're heading out this weekend for your first bike ride since the recent snowstorms, be prepared to do some bike cleaning when you return home.

The sand and gravel spread to improve traction in the snowstorm — along with all kinds of road debris like tree twigs and glass chards — has found its way to the sides of the road where we tend to ride.

If the road is wet, this stuff sticks to your bike like glue. It will grind down all the parts of your power train and wear grooves in your bike rims when you brake.

Even if it's dry, the glass works …

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2012/01/28/beating-the-bike-lane-grit-left-behind-by-snowstorms/